Triangle
by sweeet-as-honey
Summary: Cal and Ethan fight over a girl while Lily faces a battle of her own.
1. Chapter 1

**This isn't the sequel to Face the Truth - I'm afraid that one is being quite troublesome and refusing to write itself - but I hope you'll enjoy reading this story.**

Cal made up his mind as soon as he saw her. If pushed, he might have said she wasn't his usual type, but he honestly felt his usual type was 'female' and she certainly qualified in that category. Her long, dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders and halfway to her waist (she'd have to do something with it when she started work, of course, but Cal appreciated a girl who maximised her assets when she could). Her skirt hugged her hips snugly and she moved gracefully her slim calves and ankles were definitely worth a second look (and a third, and a fourth) and she wasn't wearing either a wedding or an engagement ring.

Cal had a feeling this could turn out to be a very enjoyable week.

When it had first been announced that three undergraduates would be joining them in the emergency department for a week, Cal had been hoping he wouldn't be one of the doctors chosen to look after them. But once Cal had found out that at least two of the undergraduates were female (Sophie and Amber had to be girls and he had high hopes for Ashley), he'd started to view the project with considerably more enthusiasm.

An enthusiasm that had risen still further in the last few seconds.

He went up to the girl and held out his hand. "Hi. You must be one of our new work experience undergraduates. I'm Cal."

The slim hand she placed in his was soft and sent the predictable bolt of electricity up Cal's arm. He usually knew the exact scientific term for this particular medical phenomenon, but as he lost himself in deep blue eyes, he couldn't remember very much at all.

"I'm Sophie," she said. "Sophie Matthews. I'm so glad you've come. I feel like I've been waiting here for hours, which means I must have been here for at least five minutes. I don't want to be late on my first day and no-one I've spoken to seem to have any idea of what I'm supposed to be doing. Are you Dr Chao?"

Cal had never wished he was Lily before, but there was a first time for everything.

"No, I'm afraid I'm not," he said. "I'm Dr Knight. Dr Chao is a woman. I imagine she's here already. Lily isn't usually late for anything. Me, on the other hand…"

"You, on the other hand, would be so late for your own funeral, the church will be in ruins," said Sophie.

Cal laughed uncomfortably. "Most likely." He wondered if it was a bad thing that she was thinking about him being dead already. Most girls didn't start wishing things like that at least until he'd broken up with them.

"What's Dr Chao like to work with?" asked Sophie. "It's stupid, but I actually never considered that she might be a woman. I have no idea why. I mean, I'm the last person who's going to think that women don't make good doctors. They better had do or I'm going to need a sex change."

"No. I don't think you need a sex change," said Cal after a moment's consideration. "I think you look just fine as you are. But I'm sure you'll get on well with Lily. She's a very good doctor. It might be better if you avoid flirting with her – that tends not to go down too well - but I'm hoping that won't be a problem for you."

"No, that's not a problem," said Sophie. "I'm here to work. So I might avoid flirting with everyone."

"That would be a shame," said Cal, and smiled at her. "Come on: I'll take you to meet Lily."

Sophie fell into step beside him. "Thank you, Cal. If you're not too busy."

"I'm never too busy to make a new member of the team feel welcome," said Cal. Not when she was female anyway. "Now: where would Dr Chao be at this moment?" Cal pretended to think. He guessed Lily was probably in the staff room, so he decided that would be the last place they would look. "This way."

* * *

It didn't take Ethan long to realise Cal was at it again. Assuming the girl wasn't a patient, she must be one of the student doctors, which meant she was supposed to be going to the staff room. Cal's posture, particularly the arm that was practically around her waist as he ushered her through a door ahead of him, suggested his destination was far more likely to be the area behind the bike sheds.

Ethan strode down the corridor, caught the door before it swung shut in his place, and adopted a sharp tone. "Dr Knight."

Cal jumped and then turned to face Ethan. "What do you want, Nibbles?"

"I want you to stop calling me that for a start," said Ethan – a useless request, he knew.

Cal was smiling. "You followed me all the way down the corridor just to tell me that?"

Ethan told himself he wasn't fazed. He lifted his chin and tried to match Cal's tone. "I thought you looked a bit lost, Dr Knight. The student doctors are supposed to be going to the staff room."

"No, Dr Hardy, the student doctors are supposed to be meeting their mentors, and as far as I'm aware, Lily is-"

"-in the staffroom," said Ethan. "Unless you're suggesting she flew out of the window on a broomstick."

A smile played about the corners of Cal's mouth. "I would never suggest anything so disrespectful, Dr Hardy."

Ethan stared at him in horror. "No. No, I didn't mean…"

"I hope you didn't," said Cal. "Now, if you've quite finished insulting our colleagues, allow me to introduce Sophie, one of the new student doctors."

Ethan had barely spared her a glance before, but now he did, he felt more discomfited than ever. He mumbled something incoherent, then lost the ability to speak altogether. She wasn't just a girl. She was a pretty girl.

"Hi," she said, smiling at him. "It's really nice to meet you, Dr Hardy."

"Ethan," said Ethan. All things considered, he was quite proud of himself for remembering. "Um… welcome to the ED, Sophie. I… hope you have a pleasant stay."

Cal gave him an amused look. "Ethan, it's not a hotel."

"No. No, of course not."

"Thank you, Ethan," said Sophie. "And I am staying in a hotel, so you're not wrong. Do you know where the staff room is?"

"Yes. Yes, I think I know where it is," said Ethan vaguely.

Cal laughed. "You think?"

"Oh, that's good. I'm glad somebody knows," said Sophie. "Because I literally have no idea and I'm not sure if Cal does either because that looks like a bike shed or something through there. I know the budget cuts have been pretty bad, but I'm sure you can still afford a staff room."

Ethan glanced at Cal and saw him opening and shutting his mouth. Ethan couldn't resist a smile. He wasn't sure if Sophie had intended to make a dig at Cal or not, but it had certainly found its mark.

Ethan stepped forward and held the door open for Sophie. "The staff room is this way, Sophie. I'll show you."

They walked away quickly, leaving Cal staring after them.

"What's Dr Chao like?" Sophie asked as they walked along the corridor. "I asked Cal and she sounds really scary."

Ethan wasn't really sure what to say. He was inclined to agree that Lily could be scary, but he didn't want to worry Sophie on her first day. On the other hand, maybe he should warn her. "She's a good doctor."

"That's what Cal said," said Sophie. "But I am a bit nervous. What if I panic and make a mistake and I kill someone? I've got this kind of recurring nightmare that I'll end up in jail."

"It's okay," said Ethan as reassuringly as he could. "If you kill a patient, Lily will kill you. So you have no reason to worry."

Sophie laughed. "Problem solved, then! So what else can you tell me about Lily? I did hear a rumour she has a broomstick…"

Ethan's cheeks grew hot. "I don't suppose you can forget I said that?"

"I don't think I'll ever forget," said Sophie. "The look on your face, Ethan! But I could always never mention it again."

"I would appreciate that."

"I promise I'll never mention broomsticks to you again for as long as I live," said Sophie dramatically, pressing a hand to her heart.

"Thank you."

Sophie gave him a mischievous look. "Of course, black pointy hats and spell books are entirely another matter."

* * *

Lily was surprised when Ethan approached her in the staff room. She was even more surprised that he had a girl at his side. That wasn't usually the kind of behaviour you'd associate with Ethan. His brother, yes.

"Lily, this is Sophie," said Ethan. "She's one of our students."

Lily looked her new protégée up and down. She had been told that first impressions were often wrong, but that hadn't always been Lily's experience.

"Hello, Lily!" said Sophie. "It's so nice to meet you."

"My name is Dr Chao," said Lily. "I am a doctor and you are a student, so I feel that is appropriate."

"I'm sorry, Dr Chao," said Sophie. "Cal and Ethan said I could use their first names but I suppose my relationship with you is completely different. I'm Sophie and I'm really looking forward to working with you. You already know I'm a medical student, but I'm 24 years old, I've wanted to be a doctor for at least the last twenty years, and I'm really hoping to work in an ED in the future."

"I don't need your life story or your future plans," said Lily as pleasantly as she could. "The present is all that concerns me. Here is your uniform: will you please change into it quickly and meet me back here."

"Yes, Dr Chao. Of course," said Sophie. She took the uniform Lily held out to her and scurried out of the room.

Ethan waited until she'd gone then moved closer to Lily. He lowered his voice. "Lily, you will go easy on her, won't you? I know she doesn't seem it, but she's nervous."

"Then she'll have to get over it," said Lily. She didn't see herself as being harsh. She was speaking the simple truth. "There's no time for nerves here. There are lives at stake."

Ethan subsided into silence.

When Sophie returned, she was properly attired and she'd piled her hair up on her head in a way that made Ethan stare at her even more than he'd been doing before. Lily was staring herself, though no doubt with completely different feelings from Ethan.

"Sophie, you can't wear your hair like that in an ED. It is impractical. It will come loose. Please change it and be quick. We are starting work in five minutes and I like to be early."

"Of course, Dr Chao. I wear it like this at university and it's never been a problem, except once on another placement where a little boy grabbed hold of it and decided to pull all the pins out, but I'm happy to change it if you'd like me to. I'll put it in a bun like yours: that must be okay, mustn't it?"

Lily watched her go with narrowed eyes. It seemed her new charge was nervous, impractical and had a disturbing inclination for loquacity.

If they were going to work well together, Sophie was going to have to change. And quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

**ETWentHome**, thank you for your review, that's really sweet of you. I had a serious panic about my writing today so your kind words were just what I needed.

**Minnie4114**, I love a flustered Ethan too! There's a bit more flustering in this chapter. And thank you for saying I'd got Lily spot on, that means a lot.

* * *

Cal saw Sophie a few times throughout the morning, but Lily stuck closely to her side and Cal thought it might be better to wait before resuming their conversation. Cal still couldn't quite believe that Ethan had effectively walked up to him, challenged him and then stolen his girl away (not that Sophie was his girl yet, but Cal was convinced it wouldn't be long). There were some guys from whom he would have expected such behaviour, but this was _Ethan_. Cal had been well aware that Ethan found Sophie attractive, but he hadn't expected him to do anything as proactive as producing a coherent sentence.

"Have you seen the new students?" he murmured to Lofty when they met at Louise's desk. "I've only seen Sophie so far, but she's seriously fit. I almost don't care what the other two look like."

"Don't you?" said Lofty. "I won't tell you then."

He started to move away, but Cal grabbed his arm. "No, tell me."

Lofty smiled irritatingly as though he was going to say nothing, but then he saw the look on Cal's face and relented. "I've met Ashley. Ashley's definitely seriously fit."

"Ashley's a girl, then?" said Cal. He smiled in satisfaction. This really was going to be a good week.

"Oh no," said Lofty. "Ashley's a guy. But he's definitely seriously fit. He runs marathons in his spare time. Not that he gets much of it, being a student."

Cal gave a philosophical shrug. "Still, two out of three isn't bad."

"One for you and one for me then?" said Lofty.

Cal smiled and leaned closer to him. "Not necessarily. It looks like I've got to get past Ethan first."

"_Ethan?_" Lofty's voice rang out through reception. He dropped his voice to a half-whisper. "You're not serious!"

"I'm very serious," said Cal. "I was taking her to the staff room by the scenic route and the next thing I know, she's walking off with Ethan."

Lofty clicked his tongue sympathetically. "It didn't go well then?"

Cal felt another surge of annoyance. "It was going very well until Ethan showed up."

"It's early days," said Lofty. "Don't give up yet." His tone was supportive, but there was a spark in his eyes that showed he wished he'd been there.

"I'm not giving up," said Cal. He hesitated and glanced quickly around to check Ethan wasn't in earshot. "But I am wondering if maybe I should. It's so long since he's liked anyone. Maybe I should back off. At least for a day or two."

Lofty shook his head, smiling. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

"No. Neither did I," Cal said with a slight frown. "So what do you think? Should I be a good brother for once? Or follow my instincts?"

"Just ask yourself one question," said Lofty. "Would Ethan appreciate it if you backed off for his sake?"

Cal didn't need to think about it. "No. It would give him another reason to hate me."

Lofty smiled at him. "Then there's your answer. Though I suppose really, it's up to Sophie, not you."

Cal gave him an amused look. "If you really believe that, you've got a lot to learn about women."

* * *

Ethan knew that a lot of doctors in his position would have been seriously annoyed, but he couldn't help a wry smile as he made his way to the staff room in search of a much-needed break. This was the third time this week that Pamela had visited the ED, bursting with excitement over a twinge in her tummy that she hoped indicated appendicitis at the very least, and it had taken all his powers of persuasion to convince her she wasn't at death's door. She'd been terribly disappointed, but she'd finally left and Ethan had headed for the staff room in the hope of a few minutes of solitude and as much coffee as he had time to drink.

He hadn't opened the staff room more than a few inches before he discovered he wasn't alone, but he wouldn't have said he was disappointed to find Sophie in there.

"Hi," said Ethan. When she looked up, he gave a stupid little wave that he was immediately glad Cal hadn't seen.

Sophie looked up. "Hi Ethan."

Ethan stood uncertainly in front of her. "So. Um. Are you having a break?"

He cringed. He knew he wasn't used to this, but surely he could have thought of something better than that.

"Kind of," said Sophie evasively. She gave him a small smile and looked away.

Ethan sat beside her, concern overriding his panic. "Nothing's happened, has it?"

For a moment he thought Sophie wasn't going to answer but then, without looking at him, she said: "I don't think Dr Chao likes me."

"No, I'm sure she likes you," said Ethan gently. "She's just really focused on her work. She can be a bit abrupt sometimes, but she's like that with everyone. Don't worry. I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong."

"It's just that she sent me here ages ago and she hasn't come back," said Sophie.

"I expect either she's got caught up in something or she's forgotten about you," said Ethan. He cringed again. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I didn't mean she's forgotten about you."

"You mean she's got into her usual routine and she's forgotten that this week's a bit different?" suggested Sophie.

"Yes!" said Ethan in relief. "Yes, that's what I mean."

Sophie gave him a grateful smile. "You're probably right. Thanks, Ethan. I feel better now."

"Thank you," said Ethan. "I mean I'm glad you feel better. Very glad. Er... and I'm sure Lily will be back soon. Yes. Definitely."

"I hope so!" said Sophie. "I'm supposed to write a diary thing for every day and I don't think 'sat in the staff room' is going to make very interesting reading." She looked thoughtful. "I suppose I could say I discussed medical procedures with you."

Ethan started to feel worried. "But we haven't discussed medical procedures."

"No, I know. But we could do." Sophie's smile looked genuine now. "Do you know anything about endoscopies? I technically have been present at an endoscopy, but as I was the one receiving it, I don't remember anything about it." She looked slightly put out. "I meant to ask them about it afterwards, but I fell asleep."

Ethan looked at her in concern. "I hope you're better now."

"Oh yes. That was years ago." Sophie smiled at him. "But it's sweet of you to worry."

Ethan tried to remember the last time he'd been called 'sweet' by someone who wasn't old enough to be his mother. "So…" he began, only for his mind to go blank. He was feeling quite peculiar, he realised. A bit overheated. "Have you met anyone else apart from Lily?"

"I thought we were going to talk about endoscopies," said Sophie. "But I've met a very nice doctor called Dr Hardy, and a slightly odd but I think also very nice doctor called Dr Knight."

Someone must have turned the central heating on, thought Ethan. It really was quite warm.

He had a quick glance at his watch, hoping it wasn't time to go back to work yet. He was enjoying himself. In a petrified sort of way.

"Oh come on, I'm not that boring, am I?" said Sophie.

Ethan started guiltily. "I was just seeing what the time was. Sorry. You're not boring. I like talking to you."

Sophie laughed. "It's okay. I'm just teasing. If I thought you were really bored, I'd have been much too scared to mention it." She paused and her next words were softer. "And by the way, I like talking to you too."

Ethan just stared at her. Was she saying… He blurted out the words before he could change his mind. "Have you and Lily got any plans for, you know, after you finish work?"

"She said we'd have a bit of a chat to see how things had gone," said Sophie with only middling enthusiasm.

"But nothing after that?"

"Not as far as I know. I think she'll be glad to see the back of me, to be honest."

Ethan shook his head. "I'm sure that's not true. I wouldn't like to see the back of you. I mean, I'm sure you look very nice from the back. I mean, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean, I wasn't talking about your…." He nearly bottled it, but having already embarrassed himself completely, what difference could one more humiliation make? "I don't suppose you'd like to go out for a drink later? We could talk about endoscopies."

Sophie had been trying not to laugh, but then she stopped. She smiled and her whole face seemed to light up. "I'd love to, Ethan."

"Great!" said Ethan. His heart was thumping and he couldn't keep still. "That's really… great. Better than great. Brilliant."

He smiled. Sophie smiled back.

The door opened. "Sophie, come with me," said Lily. "No time for chatting. Time to get back to work."

* * *

It had been a long, hard day. It usually was, but not usually to the extent where Lily was prepared to admit it to herself. Sophie was, she couldn't deny it, a disappointment. She'd managed to curb her inclination to talk, but anyone would think she hadn't seen the inside of a hospital before and nearly all of Lily's questions about medical procedure had been met either with wide-eyed panic or a prompt but incorrect answer.

"Sophie, this patient's blood test results show she has a low white blood cell count," said Lily. "Can you tell me the technical term for this condition?"

"Thrombocytopenia," said Sophie immediately.

"No, that is a low platelet count," said Lily. "Would you like to try again?"

Sophie began to look rattled. "Anaemia. Eosinophilic disorder. No. Wait. I know this."

"Leukopenia," said Lily. "Can you tell me a possible cause of this disease?"

The patient, a very scared-looking seventeen year old, looked at Lily in alarm. "Am I going to die?"

"No, you are not," said Lily.

"No, don't worry, Carrie: you're not going to die," said Sophie. "But it's possible I will if I don't answer a question correctly in the next two minutes. Luckily, I'm in the best possible place."

Carrie laughed softly but Lily rounded on Sophie. "Sophie, I have told you this before. A sense of humour has no place in a hospital. This patient is worried about her diagnosis and you are making jokes? Now please try to answer my question. What is a possible cause of this patient's low white blood cell count?"

Sophie lowered her head and spoke in a subdued tone. "Certain medications can cause a low white blood cell count."

"Correct!" said Lily. She was prepared to give credit where credit was due. "Can you give me an example?"

"Some antibiotics do," said Sophie uncertainly, but then her face lit up and she continued with sudden confidence. "And Carrie said that she recently suffered from a respiratory tract infection that required antibiotics."

For a long moment, Lily did not speak. She merely looked at Sophie and watched her shrink under Lily's gaze. "Sophie. Carrie has not suffered from a respiratory tract infection. That was the previous patient. But she did not take antibiotics for it as they are not usually prescribed for this condition. The patient before that, however, did recently take antibiotics for chlamydia."

"Oh," said Sophie. "I remember now. Yes."

"Sophie, you must concentrate. If you mix up your patients, you could make a very serious mistake," said Lily. "In this case, the patient also has a low red blood cell count. I think a deficiency of vitamin B12 could be indicated. That also fits in with the faintness and breathlessness."

Sophie nodded as though she understood, but Lily had her doubts. "Shall I go and find someone to take some more bloods, Dr Chao?"

"Yes please," said Lily and watched in despair as Sophie tripped over the chair leg and pulled the curtain down. She had a feeling it was going to be a very long week.


	3. Chapter 3

**ETWentHome**, yes Sophie is a lucky girl having Cal and Ethan fighting over her, I think that would make up for a lot of things! Thank you for the review, I hope you like Chapter 3.

**Minnie4114**, thank you for the lovely review, it's my longest ever! I suppose it is quite difficult keeping everyone in character as stories are usually about bad things that happen and that does often make people behave out of character. But I'll try to keep an eye on that as I keep writing. I ship myself with Ethan too, and with Cal - much to the amusement of my husband!

* * *

Ethan was having a good day. It did threaten to turn sour when Cal decided to tell him how to do his job again, but for once this turned out well with Ethan being proved right and Cal being made to look stupid, especially when he stormed out of the room with a severe case of embarrassment and hurt pride. And now Ethan was going out after work for the first time for ages. Going out with a girl for the first time for even longer.

He did feel more than slightly worried that he might not be able to talk to Sophie without embarrassing himself, but not even that could dampen Ethan's happiness too much.

Ethan felt even better when he entered the staff room and found Sophie there waiting for him. "Hi Sophie. How was your day?"

A shadow passed over Sophie's face. "A challenge," she said, her voice soft. "But at least I didn't get bored. It's psychologically impossible to feel bored when you think Lily's about to kill you."

Ethan smiled. "I suppose even impending murder has its positives." Then he realised she wasn't smiling back. Even when she'd made the joke, she hadn't sounded happy. He sat down beside her. "Sophie, is there something wrong? You can tell me if there is."

"I..." Sophie stopped. "Ethan, I'm really sorry. I don't know how to say it."

Ethan had a feeling he knew what was coming. "It's all right. Just tell me what's happened."

"I - I can't go out with you," said Sophie. "I'm just really tired and Lily's going to give me some homework to do and I really think I should crack on with that and then get an early night."

"Yes, of course," said Ethan. He tried to keep his disappointment from showing in his voice. "It's okay. You're doing the right thing. We spend all day worrying about other people's health, but you're right not to neglect your own. We can discuss endoscopies another time."

Sophie's sad face caught at his heart. "I am sorry, Ethan. I was looking forward to it."

Ethan's hand moved towards hers but he didn't quite have the courage to touch her. "You don't need to apologise. Just go home and have a good rest and I'll see you tomorrow."

Sophie seemed about to say something else, but at that point Lily entered holding a very large textbook. "Here you are, Sophie. If you can read the first three chapters tonight, I will test you tomorrow."

Ethan looked at her in amazement. "Is that really necessary, Lily? Sophie is here to experience life in an ED. I'm sure her professors can take care of the theoretical side."

"Apparently they can't," said Lily coolly. "In order to gain the most from her experience here, Sophie needs to improve her knowledge. It's my job to see she does that."

Ethan couldn't really argue with that, but he couldn't help worrying that Lily was going too far. He toyed with the idea of telling Lily to back off, but he was fairly sure all that would achieve would be to put her in a bad mood – which she might take out on Sophie.

He was still wondering when Zoe appeared in the doorway, holding a file. "Sorry, Ethan, have you got a minute?"

"Sure," said Ethan and followed her out into the corridor. As they talked, he gave part of his mind to wondering if he should tell Zoe that Lily was giving Sophie homework and tests, but he decided against it. If Lily wanted to do it that way, that was her business. It was certainly none of Ethan's.

* * *

Lily and Sophie walked out into the car park together. Sophie's shoulders were drooping, probably only partly because of the weight of the textbook, and Lily was surprised by a stab of remorse. She wondered for a moment if she was being too demanding, but the sad fact was that judging from today's performance, Sophie simply wasn't up to the requisite standard. Whether that was her fault or the university's, Lily couldn't say, but it was her job to help Sophie and she wanted to do it to the best of her ability.

She searched her mind for something encouraging to say, but it was difficult. She couldn't tell Sophie she'd done well today because the truth was she'd been a disaster. Incompetent, inappropriate and in the way.

In the end it was Sophie who broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Lily. I know I did terribly."

"Well, if you know that, that's a very good start," said Lily encouragingly.

Far from looking encouraged, Sophie's face fell a little. "I just get so nervous," she said as she fiddled with the zip on her coat. "I do know all these things really. But somehow, when I'm put on the spot, I just forget everything."

Lily heard the hopelessness in her voice. Part of her recoiled from it: this was supposed to be a professional relationship, after all. She didn't need to know about Sophie's worries and insecurities. But at the same time, she did feel the faint stirrings of sympathy. The first day in an ED was always a shock. "But that is what it's like in an ED. You are always on the spot because you never know what's coming. You have to learn to cope with that."

"I'll try," said Sophie in a small voice. She was looking down at the ground, but then she lifted her head and straightened her shoulders. When she spoke again, her voice was clearer and more determined. "I'll try my best, Dr Chao. I know I'm not good enough, but I'm determined to improve."

"I'm sure you will," said Lily, who was of the opinion it wasn't possible for Sophie to get any worse. She looked at Sophie again. Lily could tell she was tired and just one of the unwelcome pieces of personal information she'd learned about Sophie was that she didn't have a car. "How are you getting home?"

"I was going to walk," said Sophie. "It's not far to my hotel. Only a mile or so."

Lily suppressed a sigh. She didn't want to do it, but she knew it was the responsible thing to do. "Come with me. I'll give you a lift back to your hotel."

* * *

Cal called goodbye to Zoe and Ethan and made his way to the car park. After a hard day at work, all he wanted was to relax and he couldn't think of anywhere better to do it than the pub. Alcohol, girls and no Ethan. He'd done his best to help Ethan out today, but as usual, Ethan hadn't appreciated it. Admittedly, it hadn't gone as well as it usually did and for once, Cal had been wrong in his diagnosis, which had been embarrassing (and another reason why he needed a drink), but he'd been making a reasonable point that Ethan hadn't thought of and he really thought his little brother should be a bit more grateful.

Cal entered the car park and then stopped and stared at the sight in front of him. Lily was offering a crash helmet to Sophie, who seemed to have mistaken it for a brace of scorpions if her expression of terror was anything to go by.

"Is there a problem, ladies?" asked Cal, and received a look of annoyance from Lily and a look of pleading desperation from Sophie. He smiled back at her. Clearly the damsel was in distress, and who better than a Knight to rescue her?

"I have offered Sophie a lift home, but she is too afraid to get on the bike," said Lily in tones of deep exasperation.

"That's okay. I'll take you in the car," said Cal. He'd said he'd leave the car for Ethan as he was planning on getting into the kind of state where driving would be inadvisable, but he could scarcely abandon Sophie to the back of Lily's bike when she was so terrified. Considering Ethan liked Sophie so much, he should be grateful.

He wouldn't be, of course. But he should be.

Sophie looked so grateful, he thought for a moment she might give him a hug, but unfortunately she didn't. "Thank you, Cal. That's really kind of you. Are you sure that's okay?"

"Of course it's okay," said Cal. "Not everyone likes motorbikes."

Lily gave Cal a stern look, though he sensed undertones of relief. "Cal, Sophie needs to go back to her hotel and rest and study."

"Then that's where I'll take her," said Cal, and smiled to himself as he noticed a possible double meaning.

Lily, fortunately, didn't pick up on it. "Okay," she said and climbed onto her bike, transferring her stern look to Sophie. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sophie. Don't forget what I told you."

She zoomed out of the car park and Sophie turned to Cal. "Thank you, Cal. Thank you so much. I've never been more glad to see anyone."

"That's what all the girls say," said Cal.

Sophie's eyes narrowed. "Don't get too excited. I'd probably have been equally happy if Charlie had offered me a lift home naked." Then she touched his arm. "But that doesn't mean I'm not grateful."

Cal decided Charlie naked wasn't something he wanted to think about, so he thought about Sophie naked instead. Fortunately, he was well-versed in the art of mentally undressing someone whilst continuing a conversation with them. "It sounds like you really don't like motorbikes."

"I've never actually been on one before," said Sophie. "And I'm sure Lily is a good driver. But I just… they're so big and loud and I'm so glad you came along!"

"It's okay," said Cal, his voice gentle. "Don't worry about it. Everyone's scared of something and I'm not sure I'd fancy my chances on the back of that thing either." He put his arm around her shoulders and gestured towards his car. "Your chariot awaits."

* * *

Ethan was glad when Zoe finally let him go. He'd had a bit of trouble concentrating on what she was saying and she'd twice asked him if he was okay, but he managed to get through it and finally he was on his way out of the hospital.

His footsteps dragged along the clean white floors.

He'd changed his mind. This wasn't a good day after all.

It was partly the disappointment of the cancelled date, but he was also worried about Sophie. She'd looked very tired and possibly a little bit upset and he was sure the last thing she needed was more work.

Ethan opened the door and looked out at the car park. He saw with annoyance that Cal was beside the car and he was opening the door wide for somebody to get in. Ethan sighed: he should have known better than to think Cal would actually keep his promise.

Then he realised who Cal's companion was.

Sophie hadn't cancelled the date because she wanted to spend the time studying.

She'd had a better offer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Minnie4114**, I agree about Cal caring about Ethan. He's got a funny way of showing it sometimes, but I think he cares a lot. Thanks for the review and I hope you like the next chapter.

**ETWentHome**, thank you, it's always lovely when someone is intrigued by something I've written. I think you'll find the answers to some of your questions in the very next chapter - I hope it lives up to expectations!

**CBloom2**, poor Ethan, I was cruel to him in the last chapter. Unfortunately I'm not sure if he'll enjoy this next chapter either. Thanks for the review!

I hope anyone else who's reading this is also enjoying it.

* * *

"Let me take that," said Cal as he took the heavy textbook from Sophie.

"No, it's fine, I've got it." Sophie tried make a grab for it, but Cal held it out of her reach.

"I insist."

Sophie shrugged as though it really wasn't important and Cal put his arm lightly around her waist as he guided her across the road.

"After you," he said, holding the door open for her.

Sophie smiled and walked ahead of him, but then she stopped in the doorway, forestalling his attempt to follow her. "Thank you for the lift, Cal. I really appreciate it." She held out her hand for the book.

"I'll carry it upstairs for you," said Cal. "It's heavy."

"Then you'd better give it to me," said Sophie with a smile. "I wouldn't want you to strain something."

Cal regarded her thoughtfully. That might have been sarcasm, but he decided it was more likely to be flirtation. "That's okay. I have a highly competent medical student to take care of me."

Sophie's smile faded. "I'm hardly that."

Cal wasn't entirely surprised to hear her say that. On the journey home, her cheerfulness had seemed forced, and although he could have put it down to tiredness, he had a feeling that a day spent with Lily couldn't have been easy. "Let me come up to your room and we can have a chat."

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "A chat?" she said, but her voice was listless. "Is that what it's called now?"

"If you've had a rough day, it can help to talk to someone," said Cal.

"I haven't had a rough day," said Sophie. "I've had a tiring day."

Cal nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure you have. But I don't think Lily would be giving you homework unless something had happened." He looked up as someone tried to get past them and put his hand on Sophie's arm as he moved them both into the hotel foyer. "We can't talk here. Let's go up to your room." He smiled. "I promise you'll be as safe as you want to be."

"But who will be the judge of what I want?" said Sophie tiredly.

Cal put his arm around her and tried to urge her towards the stairs. "You, of course."

Sophie didn't move. "Cal, I…" she began softly, but her next words were a burst of frustration. "Will you please just leave it?"

"Are you okay?" asked Cal, instantly concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," said Sophie. "I just… it's been a stressful day. Cal, I appreciate everything you've done for me and _most_ of what you're trying to do. But I'd really like to be on my own."

Cal gave a rueful sigh. "Sure," he said. "If that's what you want." He handed her the book. "Don't work too hard, okay?" He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "And well done."

"What for?" said Sophie.

"For getting through today. It's not easy. And I should know."

* * *

"You're back early."

The words came out of Ethan's mouth before he could stop him. He'd made up his mind that he was going to be calm and dignified and for once not show his anger towards Cal, but that went out the window as soon as he saw him.

Cal looked amused. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Only my enjoyment of my own company."

"I'm glad I'm not interrupting anything important." Cal plonked himself down opposite Ethan. He seemed to be in a good mood.

Ethan wanted to punch his stupid face. "You said you'd leave the car for me."

"I had to change my plans," Cal said airily.

"Apparently."

"That medical student, Sophie, is a nice girl," said Cal.

Ethan willed his face to betray nothing. "She's all right," he mumbled without looking at Cal.

Cal laughed. "So that's it."

"What?"

"You like her. And I went back to her hotel with her. So you're jealous." Cal was smiling.

"Of course I'm not," said Ethan.

"Yes, you are," said Cal calmly. "And I don't blame you." He got up and moved closer to Ethan. His face was serious now. "Listen. I don't want to tread on your toes. If you want her that badly, I'm happy to back off."

"I don't want her!" Ethan said furiously.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Completely sure!"

Cal was smiling again. "In that case, you won't mind if I take her out for dinner tomorrow."

"Be my guest," said Ethan acidly. He got to his feet and stormed off towards his room. "Just don't bring her back here."

"Why not?" Cal asked with polite interest. "I mean, if you don't care about her, what possible difference can it make to you if I invite my girlfriend to my own home?"

"Oh do what you like!" Ethan shouted over his shoulder. "You always do anyway."

* * *

Cal wasn't usually that interested in getting to work early, but when that involved avoiding a moody Ethan and seeing an attractive girl, he was more than happy to change his plans. His efforts were rewarded when he discovered Sophie sitting in the staff room with Lily's textbook open on her lap. "Hey. How did the studying go?"

Sophie smiled at him, then looked past him as though she was expecting someone else. She looked momentarily disappointed, but then she smiled again. "It hasn't been too bad. I did kind of fall asleep and wake up with Dr Chao's book on my face, but I don't think the drool marks are very noticeable."

Cal took the book from her. "It looks fine to me. So let's see. What's leukopenia?"

"Oh no, not that again," said Sophie.

Cal looked at her curiously.

"Don't worry. It's just I had that conversation with Dr Chao yesterday and it ended up with me putting up curtains."

"Curtains?" Cal said sharply. "Lily shouldn't be getting you to put up curtains!" He wondered if he should have a word with Lily. He doubted it would do any good, but asking even a student doctor to put up curtains was going a bit far.

"It's a long story," said Sophie. "And it was me who tore the curtains down in the first place. Don't ask, okay?" she added as Cal started to do exactly that. "Okay. Leukopenia is a decrease in the number of leukocytes or white blood cells. It can be caused by various conditions including certain auto-immune diseases, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, a B12 or folate deficiency, certain medications including antibiotics…"

Cal listened, nodding as she fluently made her way through the list. "Well done." He selected one of the conditions towards the end of Sophie's long recital. "Okay, what's psittacosis?"

"An infectious disease contracted from parrots," said Sophie. "It is caused by a bacterium called chlamydia psittaci, but I've been assured by my professors that it's not usually contracted through sexual intercourse with parrots." She smiled up at him. "I made a point of asking."

"So did I," Cal remembered with a smile. "I don't think my professor found it very amusing, but the rest of my class did." He flipped through the book. "Okay, one of the symptoms for psittacosis is nuchal rigidity. What is the usual term used to describe this condition?"

"A stiff neck," said Sophie.

"Can you name any possible causes of a stiff neck?"

"Some of the basic necessities of life can cause a stiff neck," said Sophie. "These include sleeping, using the computer and certain activities detailed in the kama sutra."

Cal laughed. "The first two are correct but the last one is new to me. Can you provide me with evidence of your diagnosis? A demonstration, perhaps?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Cal. I thought you'd know," said Sophie. "I think I'd better not tell you. It doesn't do to corrupt the innocent."

Cal's laugh was a bit uncertain this time. "Okay. I don't think anyone's ever called me that before."

"There's a first time for everything," said Sophie. "Have you got any more questions for me?"

"Yes." Cal turned over a few more pages. "I have a few right here." He let his finger hover over the page. "Are you doing anything tonight, will you join me for dinner, and why do you let Lily get you into such a panic when you're obviously extremely capable?"

Sophie lowered her head and didn't answer for a while. "I might be, I'm sorry but I don't think I can, and… I don't know."

Cal sat down beside her. He was disappointed she'd refused to go out with him, but for once that wasn't his most pressing concern. "Sophie, I know Lily can be a bit abrupt. She's serious and intense and she doesn't have a lot of patience."

"Actually, she had lots of patience yesterday," said Sophie.

Cal looked at her doubtfully. "Really?"

"All doctors have patience," said Sophie, smiling at him. "You know, _patients_? As in the people we see in a hospital?"

Cal shook his head, smiling to himself. "I still don't think that joke's funny, but you tell it better than Ethan and you're much prettier than he is, so I'll let you off."

"Oh Cal, you need to get out more."

Cal had to admit that one was funny. "I'll go out tonight if you'll go with me."

Sophie stopped smiling abruptly.

"But we can talk about that later," said Cal. He guessed Sophie was worried about how much work Lily was going to give her tonight, so it made sense that she wouldn't want to commit to going out anywhere just yet. "Sophie, what happens when Lily asks you something?"

"I just get into a complete panic and give the wrong answer," said Sophie with a sigh.

"Okay. Do you think about your answer first or do you just try to answer her as quickly as possible?"

"I try to answer her as quickly as possible," said Sophie. "I… I just feel like she's waiting impatiently for the answer."

Cal smiled wryly. "Yes, Lily does give that impression. But that's probably at least part of the reason why you're making mistakes. So why don't you try this? Next time Lily asks you a question, don't try to rush into answering. Just take a moment."

"Would that be okay?" said Sophie.

"Of course it is," said Cal. "If you watch doctors at work, they often take a bit of time to make a decision. We have to learn so much and it's difficult to remember everything. Even if we know the answer, it doesn't always come to mind straight away." He smiled at her disarmingly. "And if it's okay for a highly intelligent qualified doctor like me to need a moment to think, it's definitely okay for a highly intelligent undergraduate to do the same."

Sophie smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, Cal. I do feel a bit better now."

Cal had been smiled at by a lot of women. It was a feeling he liked. The best kind of smile was the kind where they obviously thought he was the most amazing guy they'd ever seen, but the feeling of having helped and comforted someone was a surprisingly close second. He put his hand over hers. "No problem. Now I'm going to ask you a question and I'd like you to take a moment, then give me your answer. Okay?"

"Okay," said Sophie.

Cal took her hand in his. Most women liked a bit of romance and he was happy to supply it. "Sophie. Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

"I-"

Cal held up his hand. "Don't answer yet. Just think for a moment."

The door opened and Lily came in. "Hello Sophie. Are you ready for me to test you?"

Cal sighed and slumped back into his chair. Even after spending more than a year at the hospital, Lily still needed to work on her timing.


	5. Chapter 5

**ETWentHome**, I think Sophie prefers Ethan at the moment, but we know how persuasive Cal can be! Thanks for the review!

**CBloom2**, you might be right about that... Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy Chapter 5.

**Minnie4114**, thank you, that's really kind of you! I'm glad you like Sophie. I was a bit worried about writing a story with a new character, but I didn't think the story would work as well with any of the existing characters.

* * *

Lily closed the book and did her best to keep her temper. "How much time did you spend on this, Sophie?"

Sophie looked uncertain. "I'm not sure, Dr Chao. About three hours?"

Lily's voice hardened. "And for exactly how much of that time was Dr Knight present?"

"None of it," said Sophie. "He just gave me a lift home. He offered to come up to my room and help me, but I politely declined."

Lily looked at Sophie for a moment, watching her quail beneath her gaze. It seemed impossible to Lily, but Sophie still didn't know the correct term for a low white blood cell count and she didn't even know the technical term for a simple stiff neck.

She was inclined to believe that Sophie was telling the truth about Cal, but it couldn't be true that she'd spent three hours revising.

"Ask me about parrots and chlamydia," said Sophie desperately. "I know that one. And it's not from having sex with a parrot."

"We must get on now," said Lily. She led the way towards the waiting room. She really didn't know what to think. How could anyone at medical school be that stupid? Ethan had said she was nervous, but it didn't seem like nerves to Lily. It seemed more as though she knew nothing and was trying to cover it up by telling jokes.

Lily pressed her lips into a thin line. She'd tried to be patient and understanding and she'd tried to help, but it had got her nowhere. It was time to get tough and let Sophie know that she wasn't going to stand for this sort of behaviour. She couldn't do anything about it now as it was time to see their first patient, but Lily resolved there would be some changes. "Sophie, will you call the next patient for me, please?"

"Of course," said Sophie. "What would you like me to call her?"

"Her name, of course!" snapped Lily.

Sophie took a step backwards. "I just meant should I say Tracey Jackson or Mrs Jackson."

"Just use your intelligence," hissed Lily.

Sophie cleared her throat. "Er… Mrs Tracey Jackson?"

"Louder!" said Lily.

Sophie tried it again and this time a lady got to her feet and came towards them. She moved slowly, one hand resting on her swollen stomach. Her face was very pale. A second woman, facially very like her but with a healthier colour, walked protectively beside her.

"Now please introduce us both to Mrs Jackson," said Lily quietly.

"Mrs Jackson?" said Sophie. "My name's Sophie and this is Dr Chao. I'm a student doctor so I hope you don't mind me hanging around. If you do, just tell me to get lost and I will. It's very easy to get lost in this hospital."

Lily raised her eyes to the ceiling in despair.

"No, that's fine," said Tracey Jackson. "I know it's important for students to see what goes on in a hospital."

"Thank you," said Sophie. "That's very kind of you. I assume you want your… sister to be present?"

"This is my mum!" said Tracey, clearly offended, though her mum looked quite pleased.

Lily glared at Sophie.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Jackson," said Sophie. "I'm terrible at guessing people's ages. I'm really sorry if I've offended you." To Lily's relief, she sounded genuinely contrite and Tracey thawed just slightly.

"Yeah, I'd like my mum to stay."

Sophie ushered them towards a cubicle. "Please come this way, both of you. Let me help you to sit down, Tracey. So how many weeks pregnant are you? I would guess eighteen to twenty-four? You must be so excited. Is it your first child?"

Tracey's face was red with anger. "I'm not pregnant!" she spat out.

Enough was enough. Lily stepped forward and took charge. "I do apologise, Mrs Jackson. Sophie is very new to medicine. If you have reconsidered your wish to allow Sophie to remain with us, I quite understand."

Tracey gave Sophie a poisonous look. "I think I'd prefer just to see you, Dr Chao, if that's all right."

"That's perfectly all right," said Lily in relief. "Sophie, please go to the staff room. Now, Mrs Jackson." She suspected the abdominal swelling was the reason for the visit to the hospital, particularly combined with the signs of nausea in her face, but she couldn't make any assumptions. "How can I help you?"

* * *

Ethan knew it was bad.

He usually did. Even before the paramedics started giving him all the necessary details, he could tell a lot from their faces. Not that they usually showed much emotion: they were far too professional for that, but Ethan felt he knew them well by now, and he knew when the situation was serious.

The man on the trolley appeared to be conscious, but his face was suffused with pain and he was breathing into an oxygen mask. As Ethan listened, helping the paramedics to manoeuvre the trolley to Resus, he became aware he would need help and called to Lily, who seemed to be giving Sophie a quiet but emphatic telling-off.

Lily assessed the situation at a glance. "Sophie, please go to the staff room."

Ethan had to admit he quite liked the idea of not being anywhere near Sophie. Even the sound of her name caused a sharp twist of sadness inside him. But his sense of fairness came to the surface and he found himself telling Lily that it would be good for Sophie to watch. "Sophie needs to experience all aspects of the ED. Including emergencies."

Lily looked askance. "Who is mentoring Sophie, Ethan? Me or you? Get on with your job and allow me to do mine."

Ethan thought to himself that it looked like Lily _wasn't_ doing her job if she wasn't allowing Sophie even to observe the most important work they did. But he had more important things to think about now. They had a life to save.

"Sophie, I said go to the staff room!" Lily hissed angrily. "This man is seriously hurt. I don't have the time to take care of you as well."

"Maybe I could just observe?" said Sophie.

"No, you'll be in the way," said Lily. "Now please go to the staff room and next time I don't expect to ask you three times!"

* * *

Cal stepped back from the bed. He didn't want to look at the still figure of the boy, but his body was frozen to the spot and he couldn't look anywhere else. He felt tears threatening to fill his eyes and hoped he could keep it together long enough to get out of there.

It had all been so sudden. The boy had been brought in with a suspected broken arm after falling out of a ground floor window at school. It had started as a small scuffle between the boy and a friend. The friend had won and pretended to throw the ball out of the window as their friends watched. They were all over-excited, egging each other on, and the boy had fallen.

When he'd arrived in the ED, Cal had treated him. The boy was conscious and said he hadn't hit his head and his classmates were also sure this had not been the case, so his arm had been examined and then x-rayed. But then, for no apparent reason, he'd started to drift in and out of consciousness. Clearly there had been a head injury after all, which the boy hadn't noticed or had forgotten and no-one else had seen.

The arm and the x-rays were forgotten as the team had battled to save his life. Even once ten minutes had passed, Cal had believed they would save him. He was a strong, healthy boy with no known health conditions.

But time passed and the boy continued to deteriorate. The longer Cal and the team worked on him, the more they became convinced it was hopeless.

"Okay, if we're all agreed?" Zoe's voice was sober.

Everyone agreed. Even Cal agreed. He knew it was no good. He knew Zoe would never make such a decision lightly.

But he hated situations like this. He hated the unfairness of death.

Cal felt a hand on his arm and looked up at Zoe. He could tell she was affected by the boy's death too, but her voice was steady and calm. "Cal, go and have a break."

"No, I'm fine," he said, but Zoe shook her head.

"Go on, Cal. You're overdue for a break anyway."

Cal nodded and left the room. He still felt like crying so he decided to go to the loos and lock himself away in a cubicle, but then someone spoke.

"Cal? Are you okay?" said Sophie.

Cal looked down at her. She looked beautiful and concerned and he suddenly wanted to tell her everything.

Then he wondered what he was doing. He couldn't let her worry about him. She was his girlfriend, or as good as. She wouldn't want him crying on her shoulder. That would turn her off completely.

"Has something happened?" said Sophie. "I know there was an emergency. Dr Chao sent me away. Were you involved in that?"

Cal forced himself to speak. "No. This was a different emergency." His voice was trembling, and he walked abruptly away from Sophie, but she chased after him caught both his hands in hers.

"Come on, Cal. Come with me. I'll make you some tea, then you can either tell me about it or you can sit quietly or we can talk about something else. It's up to you. But I really think you should come with me because you look… thirsty. There wasn't anyone in there just now so it'll be just us."

Cal didn't have the strength to argue with her. They walked down the corridor and went into the staff room. Sophie switched the kettle on and then sat beside him and took his hand in hers. She said nothing, but her presence soothed and comforted him. He breathed in and out and concentrated on the sounds around him as he tried to ground himself. The kettle was heating up now and through the closed door, he could hear the sounds of a working hospital he was usually too focused to notice.

"How are you doing now?" said Sophie in a soft voice.

"I'm okay." Cal wasn't okay. He didn't know how anyone could be, but he was calmer now. He wasn't going to cry all over his new girlfriend. He was going to drink his tea and get back to work and do a good job as he did every time something like this happened. "Sorry. I'm not usually like this."

"I wouldn't mind if you were," said Sophie. "It shows you care about your patients. That's a good thing." She stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. "It's okay, Cal. Just talk or don't talk or do whatever you want to do."

Cal looked down at their hands. Sophie's hand was much smaller than his, but her grip was firm and sure and he did feel a bit better. He raised his head to discover she was watching him. Her expression was worried, but there was something gentle about it and he could tell she cared about him. He started to lean towards her.

The door opened. "Oh."

Even the one syllable was enough for Cal to recognise the voice.

"Excuse me," said Ethan, and backed out of the room.

Sophie tore her hand from Cal's. "Ethan, wait."

Ethan didn't quite slam the door. But he certainly shut it with unnecessary force.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks as always for your reviews, follows and favourites - replies below as usual, but I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me. I saw an episode recently where Ethan mentioned some of the things he enjoys doing in his free time, but I've forgotten what they were and I've watched so many episodes recently, I'm not sure which episode it came from. I'm working my way through the episodes I've seen, but I thought some of you might remember. (If it helps, I've seen Series 28 episodes 22-40 (mostly complete episodes) and Series 29 Episodes 25-31.) _

**CBloom2**, thanks for your review and I'm sure Ethan appreciates your offer to look after him! I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

**ETWentHome**, thank you so much, it's so lovely that you found the chapter exciting. Yes, poor Ethan - I am making him suffer! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

**Minnie4114**, I'm glad you find it convincing that Cal is already thinking of Sophie as his girlfriend - it's always really helpful and encouraging to know when I've got something right. Thank you!

**Tanrith Panic**, thank you for the review. I hope you enjoy where the story goes next!

* * *

Ethan had thought the chances of his break coinciding with Sophie's again was small, but there she was, sitting in the staff room. She didn't seem to have noticed him yet. She had a textbook on her lap, but he could tell she wasn't reading it.

She looked lovely. Ethan caught his breath and just watched her for a moment. He knew he should leave. If he stayed, he'd only get upset. He still couldn't quite believe she'd broken her date with him and gone off with Cal instead. It seemed at odds with the picture of her he'd built up in her mind. Cal was good-looking and charming, but Sophie had seemed far from bowled over by his charms when they'd first met.

But something had obviously changed since then and if Ethan had needed any further proof, the little scene in the staff room earlier had provided it. Sophie and Cal, holding hands and so obviously about to kiss. Sophie had definitely looked guilty, while Cal hadn't even been able to look at Ethan. This was slightly surprising as guilt wasn't one of Cal's most developed emotions, but it didn't really make Ethan feel any better to know that Cal was aware he had something to feel guilty about.

After a while, Sophie seemed to realise there was someone in the room with her. There was no initial outward change in her body position, just a sense that she was no longer lost in her daydream… the content of which Ethan couldn't help but imagine. Slowly, she lifted her head and her eyes met Ethan's.

"Ethan!" Sophie's face lit up at the sight of him. She stood up and half-held her hands out towards him, but when Ethan made no response, they dropped down by her side again. "Ethan. About earlier."

Ethan held up his hands. "You don't have to explain anything."

"It wasn't what it looked like," said Sophie.

"I don't see what else it could be, considering you were holding his hand," said Ethan.

Sophie had no response to that. She gave him a look of mute appeal that could have meant anything and looked down at the floor.

It hurt. Ethan hadn't thought it was possible for her to hurt him anymore, but she'd done it. She'd allowed him to hope. He realised he'd been hoping ever since she'd left with Cal yesterday afternoon. Even after almost seeing them kiss, there had still been the remnants of hope inside him. Her enthusiastic welcome just now had fired up his dreams all over again, much as he'd tried to squash them, but when it came to it, she'd been unable to support her claim.

She was Cal's girlfriend. That was the truth.

Ethan turned away, the pain almost too much to bear, but he couldn't leave her now. She'd treated him badly, but now she was with Cal and she was in danger of exactly the same thing happening to her. He didn't want her to feel as he was now. Some would say she deserved it, but not Ethan. He didn't think she'd meant to hurt him. She'd met him and liked him… but then she'd met Cal.

Cal was good-looking and charming and probably a lot of fun… but either he didn't care about his girlfriends at all (which was almost always the case) or he cared far too much and he was the one who ended up getting hurt.

Ethan thought the first was far more likely to happen, but either way a relationship between Sophie and Cal was going to end in tears. And either way, Ethan had a feeling he'd be the one to wipe them away. Cal didn't really have anyone besides Ethan, and Sophie wasn't going to get any support from Lily.

"Ethan?" said Sophie. Her voice trembled slightly. "Ethan, I really like you."

Ethan felt pain shooting through him again. Not the 'let's be friends' speech. He couldn't deal with that. He had to warn her about Cal (without letting her know he was jealous and upset) and then just get out of there before she said anything else. "Sophie, I like you too. I'd like to consider you a friend. And because of that I need to tell you something. It's better not to get into a relationship with anyone at the hospital. It does often happen, of course, but it's better to get to know someone first and work out if you like them while you're still friends. If you jump into a relationship with someone too quickly, you might find you're not suited and then the rest of your time here could be really awkward as a result. Of course, I do know you'll only be here for a week, but a week can seem like a long time. I… I just thought I should warn you. As a friend."

Sophie stared at him. She seemed shocked. Definitely hurt. Ethan wasn't sure if he'd overstepped the mark in some way or if she'd suddenly realised what Cal was like and was devastated.

"Sophie, I didn't mean to-" he began.

He didn't get any further. Sophie pushed past him and rushed out of the room.

* * *

At first, Lily had been glad that the jokes seemed to have stopped, but a quiet Sophie had turned out to be equally infuriating. She still didn't know the answers to any of the questions Lily threw at her, not even the comparatively easy ones, and several times she hadn't seemed to hear what Lily had said at all.

Lily guessed something had happened to change her mood, and her personal belief was that it was related to Caleb Knight. Lily didn't want to know anything about Sophie's personal life as it wasn't relevant and the more she knew, the more difficult it would be to remain objective, but she'd known that, unless Sophie had very much unsuspected mental strength, Cal would end up giving her a bit more than just a lift home.

"Sophie, I'm going to… Sophie!" Lily spoke sharply. "Are you listening?"

Sophie jumped and looked around at Lily with an air of confusion. "Sorry, Dr Chao. I was thinking about… leukocytes. Did you know, if you have a lower number of them than most people, it's called leukopenia?"

Great. The jokes were back. "Yes, thank you, Sophie. I have only known that since I was about nine. But as you have such a great interest in leukocytes, perhaps you will be interested to know that this patient requires a blood test, though sadly, we will not be testing for leukocytes on this occasion. As you know, we are concerned about Miss Roberts' liver function due to her abuse of alcohol so we will take some bloods now and send them to the lab immediately."

"Would you like me to take the bloods?" offered Sophie.

Lily wondered if she was being funny again. "When you say 'take the bloods', I assume you mean you would like to carry them from here to the lab. Thank you, Sophie, but that will not be necessary."

"No, I mean I could actually take the bloods," said Sophie. "To save you the trouble of finding a nurse. I've been a part-time phlebotomist since I was sixteen."

Lily thought for a moment. It was a risk, of course, but there was no reason to assume that Sophie was lying. She'd used the term phlebotomist correctly and with eight years of experience, even part-time, she ought to know what she was doing. And allowing Sophie to do this would shut up the annoying voice in her head, which was basically Ethan's voice telling her she needed to let Sophie gain as much as possible from the experience of working in the ED. "Are you still working part-time now?"

"I did until the end of my second year of medical school. Then I decided I needed to focus more on studying and placements," said Sophie.

"Okay, I'll fetch the equipment for you," said Lily after a moment or two. "But before I do, these are the rules. If the equipment is unfamiliar to you, you may not take the bloods. If at any time I ask you to stop, you must stop immediately. Is that clear?"

"Yes, it's clear, Dr Chao," said Sophie. There was a light in her eyes that Lily hadn't seen before. It wasn't quite excitement: it was too muted for that. But she seemed more professional somehow. It was as though she was about to perform a procedure she knew well (and she certainly ought to know it well) and felt completely confident in her ability. In her element, perhaps that was the phrase.

"Good. I will be back shortly," said Lily.

The nurses showed evidence of surprise when they discovered Sophie would be taking the bloods, but of course they knew better than to question Lily. Lily got everything set up in the cubicle and then asked Sophie to talk her through the procedure before she performed it.

"This may seem unnecessary to you, Sophie, but I'm in a position of responsibility and I have to be sure."

"I understand," said Sophie. "You don't know me and I'm not registered with the hospital as a phlebotomist."

Lily frowned slightly. She sensed that Sophie was only trying to reassure her that she wasn't upset, but Lily still didn't like being reassured by anyone, particularly not an inferior. However now was not the time to discuss Sophie's over-familiarity and she instead listened to Sophie's explanation of how to take blood. Sophie's words were confident and accurate and Lily was satisfied she knew what she was doing for once. "Okay. Go ahead."

Sophie sat down beside the patient and gently took hold of her arm. "I know Dr Chao has already asked you, but I hope you won't mind if I keep to my usual routine. You haven't drunk alcohol in the last twenty-four hours?"

Lily knew she should also have asked about smoking, but as the non-smoking patient had seemed rather offended when Lily had asked the question, she could understand why Sophie had skipped it.

"No, I haven't," said Miss Roberts. "Not one drop of alcohol has touched my lips. I don't mind telling you, though, I was tempted."

"Well done for resisting," said Sophie with sincerity. "I've never been much good at resisting temptation."

Lily was quite annoyed to discover she knew enough about Sophie to be well aware of that.

Sophie competently tied a tourniquet around the patient's upper arm. She then straightened her arm and pressed her finger against the crook of her elbow a couple of times. She took an antiseptic wipe, cleaned the area carefully and picked up the syringe. Finally, she checked the needle was securely attached (Lily knew this was unnecessary as she'd seen Sophie attached it but she noted it as good practice). "You'll feel a sharp jab," said Sophie.

"We say 'a sharp scratch," interjected Lily.

"So do a lot of people, but it's more a jab than a scratch," said Sophie. "Of course, the most accurate way of describing it would be 'a little prick', but you can't have the male phlebotomists going around saying things like that."

The patient found this amusing, but Lily indicated with an arch of an eyebrow that this was not the time for chatting.

Sophie moved the needle closer to the patient's arm, her eyes narrowed and her focus, for once, absolute.

There was a crash from somewhere in the hospital.

The patient screamed. "She stabbed me! She stabbed me! I'm bleeding to death!"

"That is an exaggeration," said Lily severely. For once, the term 'sharp scratch' was accurate, but it was nothing a bit of sticking plaster wouldn't cure. "I apologise for Sophie's behaviour. Sophie, please go to the staff room."

"But I-"

"At once!" said Lily.


	7. Chapter 7

**Minnie4113**, thank you so much for your review. It really means a lot.

* * *

Lily wasn't often speechless. She also wasn't usually worried about hurting people. It wasn't something she liked to do, but she wasn't afraid to say what needed to be said. And there were a lot of things that needed to be said to Sophie.

It was a mystery to Lily why nobody had said it before. She didn't see how Sophie could have got through even her first-year exams. But clearly she had and now she was on placement at Lily's hospital and it was up to Lily to deliver the unwelcome truth.

"I'm sorry, Dr Chao," said Sophie. Her voice was shaking slightly and Lily thought she might have been crying, though her eyes were dry now. "I'll do better tomorrow. I'll try harder. I promise."

"Sophie…." Lily stopped. Sophie was almost cringing away from her, but she knew there was nothing to be gained from holding back. Sophie needed to know the truth. "Sophie, I have something to say to you and it's better if I just say it. Okay?"

"Okay," Sophie said in a small voice. Her eyes met Lily's. She looked frightened and unhappy but ready to face whatever Lily had to say.

"I… I don't think there's any point in you coming here tomorrow," said Lily as gently as she could. "It's clear to me that you don't have any future as a doctor. You are not completely without the necessary qualities: you're very caring; you're… you must be very intelligent or you would never have come this far in your studies. But being able to pass exams isn't enough. You need to be able to be calm and competent in an emergency. You need to be able to deal with everything the job throws at you. You need to remember everything you've learned and give the correct advice. I know you're still a student, but even at this stage in your education, I would expect so much more. It would be much better for you to give your studies up now before you waste any more money on tuition fees and go and find something you _can_ do."

Sophie's eyes were wide and staring. The colour had drained from her face and she stood unnaturally still. Her eyes were level with Lily's face, but Lily had the feeling Sophie could see nothing at all. Except her dreams shattering.

"I'm sorry, Sophie." Lily felt genuinely upset. "But you must see I'm right. I can't work with you unless I can trust you and I _can't_ trust you. You're a liability and we can't afford to have a liability in a hospital. Our work is too important. There are lives at stake. Of course if you do come back tomorrow, perhaps Dr Hanna will be able to find something you can do. Are you any good at admin? I'm sure Louise would appreciate some help. Or perhaps you could go and sit in the relatives' room, as long as you don't tell too many jokes. A hospital is not a place for laughter."

Sophie continued to stare at Lily, a beseeching expression on her face. _Don't do this, Dr Chao_, she seemed to be saying. But Lily felt she had no choice.

"Please go home now, Sophie, and think about what I've just said." Lily hesitated and place her hand on Sophie's shoulder. This was even harder than she'd expected, but she knew it was worse for Sophie. "And try not to be sad. Not everyone can be a doctor. In the right job I'm sure you will be a great success."

* * *

Ethan just wanted to go home. He was tired, he was fed up and he would be lying if he said he wasn't also a little bit heartbroken.

Ethan knew it was partly his fault. He'd told Cal he wasn't interested in Sophie. He doubted he'd been at all convincing, but that wouldn't matter to Cal. Ethan was sure Cal did care about him in his own way, but Cal had a talent for believing whichever version of the truth suited him best. If it suited Cal to take someone's words at face value, he would convince himself they meant every word.

At last, Ethan's shift came to an end and he said his goodbyes. Neither Cal nor Sophie were in evidence. They must be together somewhere, Ethan thought bitterly as he made his way out of the hospital.

But he was wrong. Sophie wasn't with Cal. She was standing alone in the corridor, frantically trying to blink back tears.

Ethan's hands clenched. _If Cal made her cry, I really will kill him._

He hurried to her side. "Sophie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Sophie as the tears began to fall. She brushed at them frantically as she turned away with a sob. "I'm fine, Ethan. I'm fine."

"I can see you're not fine." Ethan felt quite wretched. He searched his pockets to see if he had a tissue, but instead pulled out a condom. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean… one of my patients dropped it. I didn't like to throw it away as it's lost property, but I don't think I'm brave enough to phone all my patients and ask if they dropped a…"

He stopped babbling. He wanted to die or at least be somewhere else. But Sophie needed him. There had to be something he could do. He just had to forget his feelings and Cal's actions and try to comfort her.

Ethan returned the condom to his pocket and put his hand gently on her arm. "Sophie, I know it's an emotional job. It can get to you sometimes even when you're used to it. Why don't you come to the staff room with me and I'll make you some tea? It does sound a bit silly and clichéd, but it actually does seem to help. I know it seems impossible, but you will feel better soon."

"No, I can't-" began Sophie, but then someone said Sophie's name and Ethan found himself pushed unceremoniously to one side.

His arm bashed against the wall and he rubbed it pointedly as Cal immediately did what Ethan had longed to do but hadn't dared: he put his arms around Sophie and held her close to him. "What's happened, baby?" Cal rubbed his hand in circles on her back. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Sophie sobbed into his shoulder.

Cal spoke soothingly. "It's okay. I'm here now. All you've got to do is tell me what's wrong and I'll sort it out."

"No-one can sort it out," wept Sophie.

"You can't know that till you tell me, can you?" Cal held her away from him and wiped away a tear away with his thumb. Ethan was forced to admit that he looked genuinely worried. Cal wiped another tear and bent down to her level, his forehead almost touching hers. His voice was soft. "Come on, baby. You can tell me."

"I… there was a patient, she needed some bloods done and…" Voices were heard and Sophie fell silent, allowing Cal to gather her in his arms, hiding her face from the nurses who passed. Some of them rolled their eyes at the sight of Caleb Knight with his arms around another girl, but it apparently didn't occur to them that it was anything more than that.

"Maybe we should take Sophie out to the staff room – or maybe the on-call room," suggested Ethan. "It's more private there."

Cal looked slightly annoyed by this suggestion, but probably only because he hadn't thought of it himself. "Come on, Sophie. We'll go to the on-call room."

Ethan wasn't at all sure he was included in the invitation, but found himself trailing along in their wake. Once they reached the on-call room, Cal sat Sophie on the bed and hugged her. The look he gave Ethan clearly said it was time for him to make himself scarce, but Ethan knew he couldn't trust his brother to be alone with a crying girl. Either they twisted him round their little fingers and got him to agree to anything (very unlikely in this case, Ethan knew) or Cal took the opportunity to comfort her with kisses.

Ethan had no doubts that Cal's concern was genuine, but so was Cal's belief that sleeping with a girl was an acceptable way of cheering her up.

Ethan made his decision. He would stay.

He sat beside Sophie.

"Come on, Sophie. Tell me," Cal was saying. "There's nothing so bad you can't tell me."

It took Sophie a few attempts, but finally she managed to say it. "I stabbed a patient."

Cal needed a moment or two to assimilate that. "Okay. What happened?"

"I was taking some bloods," said Sophie between sniffs. "There was a crash and the patient jumped. I was just about to put the needle into her arm and she kind of jumped into the needle. It wasn't serious, but I never should have let it happen."

"That's not your fault!" said Cal. He stroked her shoulder. "That's just bad luck and it could have happened to anyone. I made all kinds of mistakes when I was starting out and I turned out okay, didn't I?"

Ethan thought that was probably a matter of opinion, but he said nothing.

"Once you're a qualified doctor, you'll be laughing about this," said Cal.

Sophie shook her head, her eyes filling with tears again. "Dr Chao says I'll never be a doctor. She says I haven't got the right qualities."

Ethan couldn't restrain a gasp. "Did she really-"

"Don't listen to Lily." Cal hugged her more tightly. "She's talking rubbish. Just go back tomorrow and prove her wrong."

Sophie shook her head, blinking hard against the tears in her eyes. "I can't."

"Of course you can." Cal put his hand under her chin and turned her face upwards. "You can't just give up, Sophie. You can't let Lily ruin your dream. I won't let you."

"I can't work with Dr Chao." Sophie's tears started to fall. "I can't do anything right when I'm with her. I can't even think. I just freeze. My mind freezes and I can't remember anything. Every time I do something, I get it wrong."

Ethan's eyes met Cal's over Sophie's head. "Maybe it would be better if Sophie worked with someone else," said Ethan. "Lily can be a bit… intimidating if you're not used to her. Actually," he added with a slight blush, "she can be intimidating even when you are used to her."

A light came into Cal's eyes and he gave Ethan a rare look of approval. "He doesn't speak much but when he does, he occasionally talks sense. Okay, Sophie, this is what we'll do. I'll take you back to your hotel now and stay with you till you're feeling better. Tomorrow I'll go and see Zoe and explain everything. Then you can work with me for the rest of the week. How does that sound?"

Sophie's tears had stopped falling. She looked up at Cal as though he was very nearly as wonderful as he liked people to think he was. "Do you really think we could do that?"

"Of course!" said Cal confidently. "I'm sure there's nothing to say you can't switch doctors."

"No, there isn't," said Ethan unwillingly. "It was something Zoe considered, but she decided it would be better for the students to stay with the same doctors to preserve continuity. But I'm sure in this case…"

"You see?" Cal smiled happily at Sophie. "It's all sorted."

"Are you sure you want to work with me?" Sophie said as she wiped her eyes. "Dr Chao says I'm a liability."

"Then you should get a second opinion," said Cal. "And Dr Knight says that's the biggest load of rubbish he's ever heard." Cal kissed her temple. "I'll sort it out for you, okay? For now let's just get you back to your hotel. You can get an early night and then tomorrow-"

Ethan interrupted. "Caleb, we can't tell Zoe tomorrow."

Cal looked annoyed. "What's your problem now?"

"That won't give her enough time to sort it out," said Ethan. "You'd better go and tell her now."

"It shouldn't make that much difference," said Cal. "I can't go and see her now. I've got to take Sophie home."

Ethan took a second or two to wonder if he really wanted to get involved in this, but then he realised he was involved already. "I'll take Sophie home."

Cal looked faintly amused. "You seriously think I'd let you do that?"

Ethan kept his temper with an effort. "Okay. _You_ take Sophie home and _I'll_ go and speak to Zoe."

"You?" Cal scoffed. "You'd never be able to do it. You'll let Zoe talk you into making Sophie stay with Lily."

Ethan was quite temped to leave Cal to solve his own problems – but they weren't Cal's problems. They were Sophie's and she needed Ethan's help as well as Cal's. "Either you let me do something or we risk Zoe saying it's too short notice to make a change. If that happens, Sophie might decide to cut her losses and leave. Do you think it's worth the risk? Because I don't."

Cal started to argue, but then he seemed to realise Ethan had a point. "Okay," he said with deep reluctance. "We'll do it your way. You take Sophie home. I suppose it's not like I can't trust you to behave yourself."

He was scowling, but his expression changed completely when Sophie suddenly kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Cal. I am scared of going back and I won't necessarily do any better with you, but you're right. I've got to try."

"Good girl," said Cal. "You'll do fine with me. We get on okay, don't we?" He kissed her cheek. "Listen, I treated a patient today with classic severe branched-chain ketoaciduria. Do you know what that is? Because I didn't."

"Cal, I really don't think-" began Ethan.

"No, Ethan, it's fine," said Sophie. "I don't think I've heard of it, but it's likely to be related to branched-chain amino acids. Is it another name for maple syrup urine disease?"

Cal looked at her in surprise, then smiled. "Well done. Top of the class. I had no idea what it was. I had to ask the patient. It's possible I missed that lecture with a hangover, but I expect I either just forgot or never studied it."

"You see, I do know things really," said Sophie earnestly. "It's just when I'm working with Dr Chao that I forget."

"Then it's obvious what we need to do," said Cal. "And as you're obviously not intimidated by me, I'm the obvious person for you to work with. Don't you think so, Nibbles?"

"It seems so," sighed Ethan.

Cal reluctantly unwound his arms from around Sophie. "I'd better go and sort this out now. Ethan – take Sophie home and try not to bore her." He turned back to Sophie and cupped her face. "See you soon, beautiful. Don't worry. It's going to be fine." He kissed her chastely on the lips and left.


	8. Chapter 8

**ETWentHome**, thank you so much, that really means a lot. I hope Lily wasn't too harsh. I just didn't want Sophie to be so upset over nothing. It's difficult finding the balance sometimes, but I hope I'll get better at it!

**Minnie4114**, I can't tell you if you're hoping too much, but I will consider any suggestions you make so feel free to keep them coming! Thank you for the review.

* * *

Ethan parked the car as close to Sophie's hotel as he could. "Okay. Here we are. Shall we go in?"

Sophie nodded and they both got out of the car. They'd both been almost silent on the journey. Ethan hadn't known what to say now he was finally alone with her and Sophie had seemed disinclined to talk. Ethan had had the feeling sometimes that even if he had spoken, Sophie most likely wouldn't have heard.

"You are okay with me going in your hotel room, aren't you?" Ethan asked rather belatedly when they were halfway up the stairs.

"Of course," said Sophie. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Ethan nodded and tried not to feel sad. "Of course we're friends."

"But we don't have to if you'd rather not," said Sophie quickly. "I'm not trying to lure you up there or anything like that."

"It didn't even cross my mind," said Ethan.

He knew she'd never do that to Cal.

All he had to worry about was what Cal would do to her.

Sophie's room was on the first floor. Her hand shook slightly as she tried to use the key card and Ethan was on the point of offering to help, but she managed to get in at the second attempt. Ethan looked around the room and smiled. There were clothes everywhere. Far more than he'd expect anyone to need for a week. There were books on the bed; bottles and boxes all over the table.

"Oh!… I'm sorry…. let me tidy up a little bit," said Sophie, and got down on her knees, shoving various items of clothing under her bed. Ethan realised the clothing included underwear and quickly averted his eyes. He feel himself blushing, but he didn't feel as embarrassed as he might have expected to feel. He actually felt… well… charmed.

"Okay," said Sophie as she got to her feet again and made a quick circuit of the room. "I should probably tidy the bathroom too."

"I'll make some tea," said Ethan. He heard her crashing around in the bathroom and smiled to himself. He found her untidiness endearing and the fact she wanted to tidy up for him still more so.

He smiled even more as he realised something else. If she'd left the room in a mess, she probably wasn't expecting Cal. Although there seemed to be no getting around the fact that Cal and Sophie were in a relationship, it looked as though Cal wasn't getting things all his own way.

When Sophie came out of the bathroom, Ethan was pouring the hot water into two cups.

"Thanks, Ethan," said Sophie with a sweet smile and sat down on the bed. Ethan had a hurried look around the room. The hotel room did include a desk and a chair, but that was quite a long way away from Sophie and he didn't like to start moving the furniture around. A hurried glance at the chair showed it was piled high with clothes anyway.

Ethan put one of the cups down on the bedside table beside Sophie and stood awkwardly, still holding his own. He knew that sitting on the bed was the sensible thing to do, but it seemed so intimate. He'd just made tea and now they were going to sit on the bed together. Like a couple.

Which they weren't.

Sophie looked slightly hurt. "You can sit on the chair if you don't want to sit on the bed."

Ethan hated seeing her upset. "Of course I want to sit on the bed," he said quickly. He stopped, horrified. "I mean, when I say I want to sit on the bed, I don't mean I actually want to sit on the… I mean, I'm not saying I _don't_ want to, but…

"Just sit on the bed, Ethan," said Sophie. "I'm not going to jump you."

_That's a shame_, Ethan couldn't help thinking. He shot a glance at her, suddenly terrified that she might read his thoughts, but she wasn't even looking at him. He took a step towards her and spilled some of his tea on the floor. "Sorry. Um… should I clean that up?"

"No. Don't worry about it," said Sophie, and Ethan finally sat down beside her.

For a long time, they were silent. Ethan realised he was trying to calculate the exact distance between his leg and Sophie's. He didn't know what Sophie was thinking, but he doubted it was that.

Then Sophie spoke. "Do you really think I'll be able to work with Cal instead of Dr Chao?" Her voice quivered.

"Oh yes, of course," said Ethan at once. "I'm sure Cal will sort that out. He's very good at talking. Much better than me. He's very persuasive. He'll make Zoe see that it's just not working for you and Lily."

"I feel so stupid," said Sophie softly. "In so many ways."

Ethan moved slightly closer to her. "You're not stupid."

Sophie's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know, Ethan. Maybe Dr Chao's right. Maybe I'm not suited to working in an ED."

"A lot of people feel like you after the first couple of days," said Ethan. "It's a difficult job in a completely new environment. Medical school can't prepare you for this. It's much too early to tell if you're suited to it or not. All we really know is that you're not suited to spending six hours a day with Lily – and I have to say I'm not sure I'd be suited to that either."

"But I haven't spent six hours a day with her," said Sophie. A tear trickled down her cheek. "I've spent at least half the time sitting in the staff room with that stupid text book, trying to learn things I already know. Feeling that I'm not good enough and I'm wasting my time… and now I know I am. Dr Chao couldn't have made it any clearer." Another tear fell and she hid her face in her hands.

"Please don't cry," said Ethan, feeling quite upset himself. He edged closer and tried to remember what Cal had said. "Um… come here… um… baby. It's okay." He put his arm tentatively around her. "I'll… I'll _make_ it okay. I'll… sort it out. I'll sort… _everything_ out. Yes. I will. Baby."

Sophie took her hands away from her face. "Ethan, what are you doing? Why are you copying what Cal said?"

"Because I want to say the right thing," said Ethan. "Cal always knows what to say and I just… don't."

"So you're saying what he said?" Sophie reached for his hand. "Oh Ethan," she said as she started to sob, "I don't want to freak you out. Really, I don't. I'm not making any kind of move on you. But can't you see you're great as you are? Don't worry about what Cal said. Just be yourself."

Ethan watched her cry for a moment. Then he put his other arm around her, guiding her head onto his shoulder, and was surprised and delighted when she hugged him back. "It'll be okay. You're not on your own anymore. We all need support sometimes in the ED, but until now you've only really had Lily and she's… she's always had a bit of trouble with that. But now you've got me and Cal. I know you won't need me. Not if you'll have Cal with you all the time. But I want you to know, if there's anything you need, you can always ask me." He tentatively lifted his hand and touched her hair. Slowly, he ran his hand down it. It felt smooth and soft, even after a day in the ED. He kept on stroking it until she'd stopped crying. "It's going to be okay, Sophie. I know it is."

Sophie wiped her eyes. "I feel so bad about that blood test."

"That wasn't your fault," said Ethan. He gave a nervous smile. "It was actually... my fault if anything. I'm probably the one who made the crash you heard: I managed to knock a whole trolley over in Resus and that made everyone jump. Rita was about to give someone an injection and she told me I was lucky she hadn't picked up the needle yet."

"It's just... taking bloods was something I was good at," said Sophie. "I knew I was good at it. But now..."

Ethan stroked her arm. "One bad experience doesn't mean you can't do it anymore. Why not ask Cal if you can take some bloods for him tomorrow?"

Sophie looked uncertain. "Do you think he'd let me?"

"I'm sure he would." He'd probably really enjoy it, Ethan thought sadly. "If you were working with me, I'd want you to do _all_ my blood tests."

Sophie looked at him for a moment or two. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way, Ethan. I really am just being nosy. But do you have a girlfriend?"

Ethan swallowed. "No. No, I don't."

"And you're not gay?"

"No, I don't think so," said Ethan. "I mean no. I'm not. Not that I think there's anything wrong with it. I'm just not."

"Then there are a lot of stupid girls in the world," said Sophie.

* * *

Zoe looked tired. Cal knew the last thing she needed after a busy day was to have to sort out a conflict between a doctor and a medical student on work experience, but he really didn't think there was any alternative. By rights, he should probably have spoken to Connie, but Zoe had been far more involved in arranging the placements and Cal didn't rate his chances of appealing to Connie's better nature.

"What's up, Cal?" asked Zoe, doing her best to smile and look welcoming.

"It's Sophie and Lily," said Cal. "They're not getting on and today there was a bit of an incident with a blood test. Lily went a bit over the top – actually, more than a bit – and now Sophie's saying she wants to give up her placement. I think she's very intelligent and has a lot of potential and I was hoping there was something we could do."

Zoe rubbed her hand across her forehead and nodded wearily. "I have noticed they don't seem to be working very well together, but I didn't realise things were this bad. How about if Sophie and Lily come in early tomorrow and we can try to resolve this?"

"I'm really not sure that's going to work," said Cal. "Lily as good as said she didn't want Sophie to come back. She suggested asking Louise to let Sophie help with some admin. That doesn't sound like Lily would be open to compromise."

Zoe didn't look surprised. "And Sophie?"

"If I hadn't spoken to her, Sophie would probably have walked out of the ED and never come back," said Cal. "She's devastated. As anyone would be. I had a few conversations like that with my professors at medical school and it is devastating."

"But you obviously didn't give up," said Zoe.

"Well… not for very long," said Cal with a slight smile. "I tended to drink myself into oblivion and then miss lectures the next day. But Sophie can't do that. If she misses a day of her placement, she'll fail the whole module. I don't want to see that happen."

Zoe sighed. "No, neither do I. And I do sympathise with Sophie, Cal. I really do. But if she and Lily aren't prepared to discuss it and try to resolve their differences, I'm not sure if there's anything we can do."


	9. Chapter 9

**ETWentHome**, thank you, I'm really happy you'd like Sophie to stay at the ED. But it looks like she's relying on Cal to be a superhero and that doesn't always work out! Thank you for your review, I really appreciate it.

**Minnie 4114**, one thing that surprises me about Casualty is that the ED isn't full of girls who are dying of love for Ethan. I certainly love him more every day! Thank you for the lovely review.

**Tanith Panic**, thank you for your kind words. I find Zoe really difficult to write so it's really good to know I haven't done too badly. I hope I can keep it up in this next chapter!

* * *

"But I think most of the problems are coming from Lily," said Cal. "She's doing all the wrong things. She's being too strict with Sophie; she's intimidating her. This prevents Sophie from performing to her ability. Which I might have mentioned is considerable."

"Yes, Cal," Zoe said drily. You did mention that. I know Lily can be a bit… outspoken sometimes, but are you sure it's not just Sophie being too sensitive?"

"No, I don't," said Cal. "But it's not just that she's scaring Sophie half to death. She won't let Sophie observe her when she's dealing with an emergency. She sends her off to the staff room with a text book. That's not what Sophie's here for. As far as I can tell, the only thing Lily's let her do is a blood test, and only then because she's been a part-time phlebotomist for eight years."

Zoe picked up a piece of paper from the mountain on her desk. "A blood test which had to be redone by a nurse because Sophie accidentally stabbed the patient."

"But that was just bad luck," said Cal. "Sophie didn't do anything wrong. There was a crash from somewhere and the patient jumped into the needle. How is that Sophie's fault? I'm sure if she'd been left to deal with it, Sophie would have patched up the patient and taken the bloods perfectly, but Lily didn't give her the chance."

Zoe's voice was calm, but Cal thought he could hear weariness in her tone now. "Lily had to put the patient first, Cal. Sophie's placement is important, but the wellbeing of the patients still comes first."

"Of course it does," said Cal. "And maybe, under the circumstances, Lily thought she needed to do everything she could not to antagonise the patient further. But that's not even the worst thing. Lily told Sophie she has no future as a doctor. She actually said that! Lily might have done right by the patient, but she's supposed to be doing the best thing for Sophie too and as far as I can see, she never has."

"No. No, I do see your point about that," said Zoe. "And I will address it. It's just that helping Lily and Sophie to come to some sort understanding seems like by far the most productive resolution for both of them. It's always what we like to try in the first instance."

"If Sophie was going to be here for a few more weeks, maybe it would be worth trying," said Cal. "But she's not. There isn't time for anything like that. Why can't we just assign Sophie to another doctor?"

"Because it's not that simple," said Zoe. "We'd need to find a doctor who's willing and able to take over from her. I would be willing to do it myself, but I'm already working with Ashley. I can't manage two students."

Cal gave Zoe has most winning smile. "Well, I would be more than happy to help."

"You've changed your tune," said Zoe. "When you first heard about the medical students coming, you couldn't exempt yourself quickly enough."

"I was wrong," said Cal. It wasn't something he said very often, but he was still slightly annoyed by the surprised look on Zoe's face. "It sounded like a lot of extra work I didn't need. But now I've met the students and seen some of them at work, that's reminded me of how helpful I found it when I had work experience placements. It's a valuable thing to do and I'd really like to be part of it."

Zoe gave him a knowing look. "I wonder if you'd feel the same way if Sophie was twenty stone, fifty years old and male."

"If that's your only objection," Cal said with mentally-crossed fingers, "maybe I could work with Ashley, and Sophie could work with you."

Zoe gave a reluctant smile. "You know that would cause even more disruption."

"Then why not let me work with Sophie?" said Cal in his most persuasive manner. "I've spoken to Sophie quite a bit – about medical matters, I mean – and she really seems very bright. When Lily asks her a medical question, she panics, but when I ask her a medical question, even an obscure one, she knows the answer. You know that guy with classic severe branched-chain ketoaciduria we were treating? I asked Sophie if she knew what that was. She hadn't heard of it, but she worked it out. Which was more than I did."

"Did she?" Zoe said thoughtfully.

"Yes, and when we get a student as clever as Sophie, we want to do our best for her, don't we?" said Cal. "We want her to work with someone she feels comfortable with. I know that in the future, Sophie have to deal with doctors who aren't easy to work with, but she's only just starting out. She's got enough to do coping with life in an ED without Lily sending her into a panic all the time. She needs to work with someone she feels comfortable with; someone she trusts. Someone like me. The placement isn't supposed to be an exercise in the social dynamics of a hospital. It's about the work we do and a mentor who sends her away at the first sign of trouble isn't any good to Sophie at all."

Zoe looked at him, an odd sort of smile on her face. "That's quite a speech, Cal. It sounds like you really care about her."

Cal hesitated. He wasn't entirely sure if that would help his cause or not. "Sophie's a nice girl and I think she has a lot of potential and I'd like to help her realise that potential."

"Okay. Leave it with me," said Zoe. "I'll have a think about it; have a word with Lily. I do need to hear her side of the story. I'll let Sophie know what's happening tomorrow."

* * *

"Lily, Zoe wants a word when you've got a minute."

Lily must have heard the words so many times and for many different reasons. It could be related to any number of things. It was most likely to do with a patient, though she and Zoe hadn't worked together over the last couple of days.

But she didn't think it was a patient. Not considering the way Cal had looked at her when he'd said the words.

Lily felt an unwelcome twinge of nervousness. Cal, after all, did have a reason to dislike her. He was having some sort of relationship with Sophie, and Lily had ensured that Sophie would almost certainly not be returning to the hospital tomorrow. It was too much to hope that Sophie would keep quiet about the matter. Keeping quiet was not her forte.

The door of Zoe's office was open. "Lily, hi. Did Cal tell you I wanted to see you? Have a seat."

Her voice was friendly, but there was a certain distance in her manner that indicated this was not a friendly chat. Lily perched on the edge of a chair and told herself there was no reason to be afraid. She'd acted for the best. She'd been honest with Sophie, as someone should have done already. She'd done the right thing – for Sophie and for the ED.

"How's it going with Sophie?" asked Zoe.

Caught off-guard, Lily was unable to answer for a moment. Did this mean Zoe _didn't_ know? "It's not going very well. I don't think Sophie has a future as a doctor."

"Perhaps not," said Zoe. "Not everyone who trains as a doctor will have a future in that field."

Lily felt herself relax slightly.

"But of course, it's impossible to say at this stage," said Zoe. "She's only been here for two days and you've only seen her working in one department."

Anxiety formed in Lily's stomach again. "Have you spoken to Sophie?"

"Not yet," said Zoe. "I'm going to speak to her tomorrow. But first I'd like to hear your side of the story, Lily. What happened? I know sometimes that things can go wrong. People can get off on the wrong foot."

Lily looked away. Getting off on the wrong foot was something that happened to her quite a lot. But this was different. "She caused a medical emergency."

"I'm assuming you're talking about the bloods? What exactly happened?"

"I told you in my report," said Lily.

"You gave me a brief outline, but could you tell me a bit more about it?" said Zoe.

Lily remembered the moment only too well. Even the memory of it filled her with horror. "There was a crash somewhere in the hospital and it made Sophie jump."

"Did you see her jump?" asked Zoe.

"Yes!" said Lily.

Zoe's voice was soft. "Please think carefully, Lily. Is this something you saw or a memory you constructed afterwards?"

Lily tried to think. She remembered the patient screaming. She remembered the blood. "But what else could have happened?"

"Isn't it possible that the patient was the one who jumped?" said Zoe. "She is at least as likely as Sophie to have been frightened by the crash. The patient isn't as used to hospital sounds as Sophie and she was presumably feeling unwell and anxious. When something frightens you, it's natural to move towards someone for comfort. Sophie was right next to her."

"You can't prove that," said Lily.

"No, I can't," said Zoe. "But you can't prove that it was Sophie's fault. Even if it was, I'd cut her a bit of slack. She didn't cause a serious injury. It's very unfortunate, but it happens."

"But it's not just that," said Lily. "It was the last straw in a succession of mistakes. She offended one of my patients by jumping to the conclusion that a swollen abdomen indicated pregnancy. It is a natural assumption, but there are other conditions that could have caused it."

"Yes," Zoe said quietly; "it is always difficult when someone offends a patient."

There was no censure in her tone but Lily was instantly reminded of several occasions when she'd done just that.

She tried again. "Sophie doesn't have the knowledge I would expect from someone who is studying medicine."

"How do you know?" said Zoe. Her voice was quiet and neutral, but Lily felt more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Because I've asked her," she said awkwardly. "I ask her the most basic questions and she gets them wrong. I ask her to perform a simple task and she can't do it.

"Yet Cal has told me that he's asked her difficult questions, including a case that puzzled him, and Sophie gave him the correct answer almost straight away."

Lily stared at Zoe, startled, but she quickly tried to hide it. "That could have been a fluke."

"It's happened more than once," said Zoe.

"But you can't trust anything Cal says! He is infatuated with her," said Lily. "He will do anything for a girl when he is infatuated. Ask him again tomorrow morning after breakfast. I'm sure he'll feel very differently about her then."


	10. Chapter 10

**Minnie4114**, thank you for the review! I'm glad you're still enjoying it.

I hope everyone else is enjoying it too.

* * *

"I can imagine Cal defending a girl he likes, but that doesn't mean he'd lie for her," said Zoe. "Lily, I agree with you that some of Sophie's behaviour is a cause for concern – but it's exactly the same with my student. He's new to the ED; he's a little bit over-confident, so he makes mistakes. He sometimes needs me to bring him gently back into line."

_Gently_. Lily lowered her eyes. She'd tried to be gentle with Sophie, but she knew that her idea of gentle didn't always tally with everyone else's.

"Sophie might also be suffering from over-confidence – I don't know, though it sounds to me like it's more likely to be the opposite," said Zoe. "But it's actually not Sophie's behaviour that concerns me the most."

Lily's head jerked upwards and she met Zoe's gaze. The older doctor looked unhappy. Lily knew she hated things like this. She couldn't just get on with it like Connie – or like Lily herself.

"Lily, you've told me that you feel Sophie has no future as a doctor. That's your opinion and to be fair, I did ask for your opinion. But Cal tells me you've also expressed this view to Sophie. Is this correct?"

Lily never lied. She wasn't going to lie now. But she felt shaky as she looked Zoe in the eye and gave her answer. "Yes, Zoe. That's correct."

"But why?" said Zoe. "I know you've had problems getting along with her, but why would you want to hurt her? Even if it was your call to make, this is someone's dream you're destroying, Lily."

"But if she's clearly not capable…"

"Then it's up to her professors to make that call. Or the examiners. Or Sophie herself. You've known her for two days, Lily!" Zoe's voice rose as her frustration spilled out. "And if you've been speaking to her with so little empathy and compassion for those two days, is it any wonder she's making mistakes?"

"She's not a patient," argued Lily. "She doesn't need my empathy and compassion. She needs to do her job."

"Lily, she's a human being: of course she needs empathy and compassion," said Zoe. "That's what I've been trying to show to you. I asked you for your side of the story. I've sympathised with your situation and my sympathy is genuine because I know students can be difficult to work with. I knew you'd find the task difficult; I had a feeling you might need support. But I thought it would be good for you. I believed it would help to develop your skills and abilities as well as Sophie's." She sobered. "And that means I've made a very big mistake too."

"No. No, it wasn't a mistake," said Lily, but she was speaking almost at random, overwhelmed by the emotions in Zoe's words. The incredulity. The disappointment. And the anger, which even now she was trying to suppress.

"Isn't it? But look what it's led to, Lily. A student was sent to our department in good faith and with our assurances that we'd do her best for her and now she's decided to end the placement early and forfeit a large portion of her grade because she's been so unhappy here. You might say that if she wanted it badly enough, she would come back. But the fact is this happened after you told her not to bother coming back. So what is she supposed to do, Lily? What would you do if someone had said that to you?"

Lily honestly thought she wouldn't have let it bother her. She'd have known that was a matter of opinion and been very keen to prove them wrong.

But sometimes harsh words did bother her. Like the words Zoe was saying to her now.

Lily was only a junior doctor, after all. She had only seen a tiny example of Sophie's work in one particular hospital department. Sophie's knowledge had been lacking, but perhaps it had simply been nerves. It wasn't unnatural to feel nervous when you came to work in a hospital, especially in a department when there were likely to be emergencies. And when you were nervous, sometimes you did forget things.

And sometimes you told stupid jokes.

"Lily, I'm sure you genuinely believed you were doing Sophie a favour," said Zoe more gently. "You can be… perhaps sometimes you say things that are better left unsaid. Or you say things with too much force. But I don't think you're ever deliberately cruel."

"No, I'm not," said Lily. Tears filled her eyes. "I promise you, Zoe. It wasn't like that."

"But even so, the result is that Sophie is very upset and doesn't want to come back to our hospital," said Zoe. "I'm hoping she'll change her mind. Cal and Ethan are working on it. But if she does come back, Lily, she can't work with you. You can see that, can't you?"

Lily nodded just slightly. She couldn't trust herself to speak.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"No," said Lily. "Just – thank you. For being kind. And I'm sorry."

Zoe could have said that everyone appreciated kindness. Perhaps it was kindness that prevented her from saying it. But maybe she knew she didn't need to.

* * *

"Oh yes, walking holidays can be incredibly dangerous," said Ethan.

"Like when you fall down a hole and die," said Sophie.

Ethan smiled. "I have to say that's never happened to me."

"So I'm not sharing my bed with a corpse?" said Sophie. "That's always good to know." She moved slightly. "Um… when I say sharing my bed…"

"It's all right. I know what you mean," said Ethan. They were on the same bed at the same time, after all. And they were lying down and they were very close together and… actually it might be better not to think about that too much at the present moment. Quickly, he continued: "But there are so many things that can go wrong. I've left my tent on the train about three times – and I usually stay in youth hostels."

"Me too," said Sophie. "Ever since I had my tent stolen. When I was in it."

Ethan turned to her anxiously. "You mean you were kidnapped?"

"No, they left me behind," said Sophie. "Only sensible really. They didn't know where I'd been. They took the tent, the groundsheet, the guy ropes, the tent pegs - they left me my sleeping bag and my other belongings, but believe me, I was not a happy camper."

"So what did you…" Ethan stopped. "Is that my phone?"

Sophie laughed. "Well, it's not mine. So either it's yours or one of us is a phone thief. So it better had be yours because I don't want to share my bed with a phone thief either."

Ethan looked around and picked up his phone from Sophie's bedside table. "Hi Caleb."

"Where are you?" Cal sounded annoyed.

"In Sophie's hotel room," said Ethan, slightly surprised. He was sure that was where Cal had told them to go.

"Where? What are you doing?" Cal's voice rose slightly.

His reaction made no sense to Ethan. "Just lying on Sophie's bed having fun."

"WHAT?"

Ethan winced as he felt his eardrum vibrate. Beside him, Sophie began to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh Ethan. Oh _Ethan_."

Ethan suddenly realised what he'd said. "Oh, I didn't mean… I don't mean we're… we were talking about walking holidays."

Apparently this was the wrong answer too. "Ethan! You're probably boring the poor girl to death!" said Cal.

"Well, probably," admitted Ethan. "Her stories are much funnier than mine."

"Why are you doing that lying down anyway?" demanded Cal.

Ethan had to admit it was a reasonable question. He also had to admit that he rather enjoyed hearing Cal sound so jealous. "Sophie said she was tired so I told her to lie down, but then I wanted to show her some pictures of when I went to the Peak District, so I lay down next to her so we could both see. Where are you?"

"At home," said Cal. "I thought you'd take Sophie there. I never thought she'd let you into her hotel room." This last came out with grudging admiration.

Ethan gathered from this that Cal hadn't been quite so lucky, but he didn't doubt it would happen. Sophie wouldn't hold out forever. Not many girls did. "How did it go?"

"Pretty well, I think," said Cal. "I'll tell you when I get there." His voice darkened. "As long I won't be in the way."

"No, of course not," said Ethan. He knew he would be the one in the way. "Hold on for a minute, will you? Sophie, do you mind if Cal comes here?"

"Not if you stay," said Sophie. "For… for chaperone purposes, I mean."

Ethan had to turn away from her so she wouldn't see him blush. He knew Sophie only wanted him to stay to ensure that Cal didn't get any ideas, but it was still nice that she wanted his company. "That's fine, Cal. Phone me again when you get here and I'll come down and find you." He turned back to Sophie. "He'll probably be about ten minutes. So you've got time to tell me the rest of your camping story." He smiled. "I'm on tenterhooks."

* * *

Cal didn't know why he was so anxious. Sophie really liked him, after all. She would never cheat on him with anyone. As for Ethan, he would hardly steal his own brother's girlfriend. Even if he did, he wouldn't know what to do with her.

But all that business of getting Sophie to lie down because she was tired and then conveniently thinking of an excuse to lie down next to her… it was impossible not to be suspicious of that. Cal had used that line on lots of girls more than once, and he'd always had an ulterior motive.

Instead of phoning Ethan, he asked for Sophie's room number at the desk. To his annoyance, they refused to give it to him. "Oh, come on! You know me! I've booked rooms in this hotel loads of times."

"We can put a call through to Miss Matthews' room if you'd like me to, sir."

"She's my girlfriend," said Cal. "I want to surprise her."

"That's very… romantic, but I'm afraid we have very strict rules, sir. Particularly with our female guests. Would you like me to make the call?"

"Don't bother. I'll do it myself. I do know my own girlfriend's phone number," said Cal sulkily. He decided to phone Sophie rather than Ethan this time. He didn't know why he hadn't done it before. Why would he phone his brother when he could have phoned his girlfriend?

Sophie sounded suspiciously breathless. "Hi Cal, are you here?"

"Why are you out of breath?" said Cal. "What have you been doing?"

"Ethan," said Sophie.

Cal forgot he was in the middle of the hotel. "What do you mean you've been 'doing' Ethan?" he shouted.

"Oh no, I didn't mean that!" gasped Sophie. "No. Not at all. Of course not. I'm out of breath because he made me laugh. He was telling me about this time he went on a walking holiday and…" She stopped and went off into another peal of laughter. "…and he ran out of tea bags and he said he was really teed off and that he recommended always taking twice as much tea as you thought you'd need and then I said thanks for the PG tip and then he said just be sure to take the Lyons share and then I said I'll take Bettys and Taylors share too and then he said tea is obviously a Premier Food for me and then I said I'd be sure to give him a _Ring_tons if I wanted any more advice on tea and then he said-"

"Did either of you mention Horniman's Tea?" asked Cal, even though he was worried about the answer.

"No, I forgot about it!" said Sophie. "I'll tell him I don't like every brand because the last thing you need when you're alone in the middle of nowhere is a Horniman! Aw Ethan! He's blushing, bless him!"

Cal decided that not even Horniman's Tea could be that much of an aphrodisiac where Ethan was concerned. "What's your room number?"

Sophie stopped laughing. "I'll send Ethan down to show you. You'll never find my room on your own. The room numbers are really weird."

"No, that's okay," said Cal. "I know how the room numbers work. I've been here loads of times."

"For business meetings, of course," said Sophie.

"That's right, for business meetings," said Cal. He laughed awkwardly. "Why else would I go to a hotel? I only live ten minutes away."


	11. Chapter 11

**AVMabs**, I'm so happy you enjoyed the tea puns. I wasn't sure if they were funny or not. Thanks for the review and for all your support.

**ETWentHome**, I don't think Sophie's sure either and I can't blame her because I love both of them! Thanks for your review.

**Tanith Panic**, that's really kind of you to say that - thank you! I hope you enjoy Chapter 11.

**theverystuffoflife**, thank you so much for saying that. I found Zoe really difficult to write so I really am thrilled with your review. I'm also really glad I've brought Lily's point of view across - I didn't want her to be just a villain.

* * *

When Ethan arrived at work the next day, the first thing he saw was Cal and Sophie, deep in conversation. Neither of them seemed aware of his presence. Ethan was about to walk past them without saying anything, but then Zoe called out to him and Sophie, hearing his name, turned round.

"Hi, Ethan," she said and smiled.

Ethan stood there, absurdly happy that she'd actually bothered to say hello to him. "Hi, Sophie. Sorry, Zoe, I'll just be a minute. Are you feeling better today, Sophie?"

"Better than yesterday," said Sophie. "But I am a bit scared of seeing Lily."

Cal's arm went protectively – or perhaps territorially – around Sophie's shoulders. "I told you. It'll be okay. I'll be there. You've got no need to worry."

"I'm sure it'll be easier than you think," said Ethan. He'd have liked to stay and give her some more reassurance, but he didn't want to keep Zoe waiting. "I'll see you later, okay? Sorry, Zoe. I just wanted to check on Sophie."

"It's okay," said Zoe. "I'm glad you're supporting her. It makes me even more sure I've made the right decision this time."

"Decision?" Ethan said blankly as he followed Zoe into her office.

"Yes. I'd like you to take over from Lily as Sophie's mentor."

Ethan stared at her in amazement. "What about Cal? I thought he was going to do it."

"Cal offered," said Zoe with a wry smile. "But I get the impression that Cal is interested in Sophie, and I'm not sure that the working relationship between a mentor and a student is really compatible with the kind of relationship Cal has in mind."

Ethan guessed Zoe's real concern was that the relationship wouldn't last the week and he had to admit this was a sensible precaution, but that didn't mean Cal would like it. Ethan, on the other hand, probably liked the idea a bit too much. "I'm happy to work with Sophie if you'd like me to," he said as neutrally as he could.

From Zoe's smile, he wasn't completely sure he'd succeeded. "I'm glad to hear it. Would you mind asking Sophie to come and see me, please? Unless there's anything you'd like to say."

"No, I don't think so," said Ethan. "Only that… I'll do my very best."

Zoe smiled. "I never doubted it, Ethan."

* * *

Cal wasn't quite sure why Ethan was hanging around. Sophie was speaking to Zoe, receiving the official confirmation that she and Cal would be working together for the rest of the week. Cal, of course, was waiting for her. But he had no idea why Ethan was still here.

Ethan was pretending to look through some files. Cal knew he was pretending because he was studying each page with such deep attention.

"Have you never seen a file before?" said Cal as he went to stand beside him.

"Not like this," Ethan said without taking his eyes from the document.

"What's it about?" Cal snatched the page from him and started to laugh. "I don't believe this."

Ethan tried to take the page back. "Give me that."

"Ethan, you're not seriously telling me that this piece of paper belongs in this file." Cal laughed. "If it was anyone other than you, I'd think you'd smuggled it into someone's file so you could read it secretly. But I don't see how you could possibly know if you were impotent or not! When would you have had the occasion to find out?"

Ethan's face flamed and he had another go at snatching the paper. "Obviously, it's relevant to the patient, Caleb."

"A patient called Elizabeth?" said Cal, holding the page above his head.

"Okay, someone must have left it in here by accident," said Ethan as he started to look through the file.

"And you didn't notice!" said Cal. "It was sitting there, right in front of you! I knew you were only pretending to read that file. So what are you hanging around for? Who is it you want to see?"

Ethan ignored this. "The person who left it in there is most likely the doctor who told the patient to come back if there were any further problems. And that is… Dr Caleb Knight."

"It's not mine!" said Cal. It wasn't and he had some fairly recent proof it wasn't, but everyone in reception was laughing at him and he just couldn't believe Ethan had turned things around like that.

It was at that embarrassing moment that Sophie returned. "Hi, Ethan. Zoe says we're working together."

"What?!" said Cal. "I thought you were going to work with me!"

"Sorry, Cal," said Ethan. He didn't sound quite as convincing as he'd meant to, but it wasn't every day that he discomfited his brother so completely. "Zoe had other ideas. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get to see Sophie later."

* * *

Lily had known she couldn't avoid Sophie forever. They worked in the same department of the same hospital and if ever more than two doctors were required, it wasn't impossible that she would end up working with Sophie's new mentor – presumably Cal. She'd told herself she was prepared for it and that when the meeting eventually came, she would simply say hello. It would be unprofessional, she'd decided, to say anything more. If they were treating a patient, there was no time for social chit-chat.

But when she saw Sophie and Ethan walking towards her, Lily froze. She couldn't keep walking, but she managed to shuffle to the side of the corridor to let them pass.

Neither Sophie nor Ethan looked at her. It might have been because they were involved in an animated discussion about hypertension and weren't aware of Lily, but it seemed more likely that they just didn't want to look at her.

Lily told herself it wasn't her fault Sophie and Ethan were in a mood with her. She'd given her honest opinion. That was all and it hadn't turned out too badly because Sophie had come back.

But that didn't mean Lily felt happy about what she'd done.

* * *

Ethan smiled at Sophie. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, of course!" said Sophie unconvincingly.

"I know you'll be fine," said Ethan. "I'll do the talking. You don't have to do anything till you're ready."

Sophie gave him a small smile and they both stepped forward as a patient was wheeled through the doors. Ethan was relieved to see that the patient was conscious and in no obvious pain. She was very apologetic about wasting their time. "All I did was faint and I didn't hit my head, but the school insisted on calling an ambulance."

"It's all right," said Ethan. We're very happy to examine you while you're here and we're not busy at the moment. Now, are you sure that you didn't bang your head?"

"Oh yes; quite sure," said Lauren. "The headmistress caught me and laid me down on the floor. I don't actually remember that, but I doubt she'd lie. Of course, she wasn't very pleased with me at the time because my little boy had been very naughty and I probably shouldn't really have been defending him, but..."

"…but it doesn't seem likely she socked you over the head with the nearest bookend," said Sophie.

"No," said Lauren with a giggle.

"I have to say that does seem very unlikely," agreed Ethan. "Now, your pulse is rather high, even taking into account that you're anxious. Have you had fainting spells before?"

"I've never fainted," said Lauren. "But I do sometimes feel dizzy. I've spoken to the GP about it, but he said it was nothing and to make sure I ate regularly. To be honest, I do sometimes skip breakfast if my little boy is playing up and that happened today, but I did eat once I got home again."

Ethan checked the pulse rate on the monitor again. "Okay, I'm going to do something called an ECG, also known as a heart tracing. It won't hurt and it's really just a precaution. Sophie, have you ever done an ECG?"

"No, never," said Sophie, surprised.

Ethan nodded. "That's fine. We'll find a nurse to do it. The only problem is that it might take a little bit of time, Lauren. Is there anyone you need to contact?"

* * *

Cal was surprised by how angry he felt when he saw Lily. It did cross his mind that part of his anger was caused by Zoe's decision not to let him work with Sophie and Ethan's being the beneficiary, but it wasn't as though he had no reason to be angry with Lily. "Lily, who do you think you are?"

He rather expected Lily to shout back at him. He knew she had problems with communication sometimes, but standing up for herself had never been one of them. But Lily didn't shout. "What do you mean?" she asked in a soft voice that probably wasn't as steady as she'd meant it to be.

"You know what I mean." Cal seized her arm and half-dragged her down the corridor a little way. "How could you talk to Sophie like that?"

"I thought it needed to be said," said Lily unhappily, before adding with something like her usual manner: "What's it got to do with you anyway?"

"Quite a lot!" said Cal. "Sophie is my girlfriend and I'm the one she spoke to about it. She was devastated, Lily. She's dreamed of being a doctor all her life and then you say something like that to her. Even if it was true, which it's not, you've got no right to say that to her. Not even Zoe or Connie can do that."

Lily didn't meet his eye. "I really thought it needed to be said."

Cal picked up on the past tense. "But you don't think so now?"

"I don't know," said Lily. She lifted her hands helplessly. "I don't know."

"Well, you were wrong," said Cal. "The only reason Sophie was having problems was because you were intimidating her. She's a clever girl and she knows about things even I don't know, but the kid was scared to death. Every time you asked her something, she panicked."

"That's not my fault," said Lily. "If someone has a predisposition for anxiety…"

"…then it is going to make it more difficult. But there are still things you can't say. Not to Sophie. Not to anyone."

Lily was trembling, but the glare she gave Cal more than convinced him that Sophie had every reason to be scared of her. "Don't tell me how to treat Sophie. We all know how you treat girls and Sophie will be no different from the others."

"Maybe you'll be surprised," Cal said as he walked away.

"Oh, I doubt that very much!"

* * *

The ECG looked perfectly fine. Ethan considered repeating it, but he decided to explore other avenues. He'd already established that Lauren wasn't unwell, barring irritable bowel syndrome; she wasn't on any medication other than for the aforementioned condition; her fluid intake seemed reasonable. "Lauren, I think it's likely that having a rambunctious child and a job, you're rushing around and not taking care of yourself properly, and that's something that can be solved with less disruption to your life than you might think. But while you're here, I'd like to take some bloods just to rule out other conditions. Sophie, could you take the bloods for me, please?"

Sophie looked at him with an expression of terror. "No. I can't!"

Ethan realised he'd miscalculated. He put his hand gently on her arm. "I'm sorry. You're right. Could you go and find a nurse to do it for me, please?"

Sophie nodded and disappeared. She returned swiftly with Rita. As there was no need for Ethan to remain in the cubicle, he led Sophie quickly out into the corridor.

"I'm sorry. I thought it might be good for you to do a successful blood test."

"I think you're right," said Sophie. "But I just panicked. I'm sorry, Ethan."

Ethan wanted to hug her. He tried and failed to content himself with a clumsy pat on the shoulder. "You don't have to apologise. It's understandable after what's happened. I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that. I should have discussed it with you first. I'm sorry, Sophie."

"You don't have to apologise either," said Sophie. "You asked an experienced phlebotomist to take some bloods. What's wrong with that?"

"The circumstances were a little more complicated than that," said Ethan. He patted her shoulder again. It seemed a bit more natural that time. "Don't give it another thought. If you change your mind, all you have to do is let me know."

Sophie lowered her eyes. "I'd like to try it again, but what if I panic?"

"If you panic, we'll just find someone else to do it like we did this time," said Ethan. He smiled. "And that's fine."


	12. Chapter 12

**CasualtyFanForever81**, thank you for the idea - I think that would make a really good addition to the story. I'll see what I can do.

**ETWentHome**, I'm happy you enjoyed the last chapter. Considering how much I love Cal, I do seem to spend a lot of time making him suffer! Thank you for the review.

**Tanith Panic**, thank you very much - I'm glad you enjoyed it.

* * *

Lily stared into the mirror. Without her glasses, the eagle-eyed members of the department would know she'd been crying, but with her glasses, she would be fine.

She didn't know why she was so upset. All she'd done was give her opinion. She hadn't tried to hurt Sophie. She'd just stated the facts as she saw them. It wasn't her fault that Sophie had overreacted. It also wasn't her fault that Cal had gone a little too far in defending his latest girlfriend's honour.

But Zoe seemed to agree that Lily had done something badly wrong and Lily respected Zoe's opinion. She also respected Ethan's opinion and although she and Ethan had seen each other a couple of times today (albeit at a distance), he hadn't so much as smiled at her.

Lily remembered when she'd first started working at the ED. She hadn't been popular and she knew everyone had been looking forward to her departure. She'd asked Zoe to let her stay and although Zoe had tried to be diplomatic, she'd known Zoe didn't want her. Then, unaccountably, she'd changed her mind, but until that point, Lily had been convinced she wasn't coming back. She had tried to hide her feelings, of course, but she had been hurt.

She wondered how she would have felt if Zoe had told her she had no future as a doctor; that her impatience, abruptness and inability to connect with the patients would make her dream impossible. That would have hurt her even more.

If Zoe had said all that and then offered Lily the chance to stay on, would she have been strong enough to accept?

Lily hoped she would have been, but she wasn't sure. The humiliation might have driven her away even if the hurt did not.

"Lily, are you okay?"

Lily saw Robyn appear in the mirror behind her. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" she said sharply. Then she took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Robyn looked even more concerned. "You didn't hurt me, Lily." She came to stand beside Lily. "I just thought you looked a bit sad, that's all. But there are always loads of reasons for feeling sad in a hospital. Like double shifts."

Lily knew she was supposed to smile. She almost managed it.

"If there's nothing wrong, then I'm really happy," said Robyn with a smile. "But if you do want to talk to someone, you can always talk to me. I'm actually quite a good listener when I remember to stop talking."

Lily wasn't in the habit of discussing her feelings, but she did feel slightly comforted to know someone wanted to listen. It probably meant Robyn didn't hate her.

Though of course, Robyn loved pretty much everyone. She probably even loved Connie. She might even love Cal.

"I'm okay," said Lily. "But… thank you."

"No problem," said Robyn. "If you ever aren't okay, you know where to find me."

* * *

Cal sneaked up behind Sophie and put his arms around her. "I've got a surprise for you."

"What kind of surprise?" said Sophie, a bit nervously.

"I've booked a table for tonight," said Cal as he turned her to face him. "The best restaurant in Holby. Because you deserve the best."

There was uncertainty in Sophie's eyes. "Cal, I do like you. I really do."

"I know you do," said Cal, surprised.

"A bit more modesty and humility wouldn't go astray, but I think you're basically a good guy," said Sophie.

Cal nodded. "I am a good guy," he said before deciding this wasn't very modest. "Most of the time." He frowned slightly. Perhaps that didn't give the best impression either. "I do always mean well. Except sometimes when I'm talking to Ethan."

"The thing is," said Sophie as she gently extracted herself from his embrace, "I am kind of getting over someone."

Cal dismissed this with a sweeping gesture. "Forget about him. He's a moron."

Sophie looked startled. She gave a nervous laugh. "You don't even know who he is."

"I know he's a moron," said Cal. He held his face close to hers. "Anyone would have to be a moron to break up with you."

Sophie seemed slightly breathless. She took a step back. "He didn't break up with me. We were never together. He asked me out for a drink and I assumed he liked me, but then he gave me a big speech about how it wouldn't be appropriate for us to go out, but he'd like to be friends. It doesn't seem fair to go out with you when I'm still getting over him."

Cal put his arms around her again. "Come here, beautiful. Now listen to me. It's very sweet of you to worry about hurting me, but you can't spend the rest of your life moping over this idiot. You need to get out and enjoy life and if you come out with me, I'll make sure you have a good time. That's the best way of getting over someone: to find someone else to fill the hole he left in your life."

"Caleb, I make it a point of honour never to go out with a guy who offers to fill up my hole."

"Okay," said Cal with an awkward smile. "Maybe I didn't put that in quite the best way. But I'm sure you know what I mean. Let me be your rebound guy and by the end of the night, you won't even remember who you're on the rebound from."

Sophie laughed. "Are you sure about that? I don't usually forget things when I'm around you."

"Then I'll have to work harder, won't I?" said Cal. "Okay, what's a dacryocystorhinostomy?"

"Not something we're likely to do in the ED."

Cal kissed her cheek. "Don't tell me I've finally found something you don't know."

Sophie tilted her head. Or perhaps moved her cheek away from him, but Cal preferred to believe she was tilting her head in a flirtatious manner.

"No, I do know," she said. "That's when the nasolacrimal duct doesn't function and you need to restore the flow of tears from the lacrimal sac to the nose. There are two methods of performing this procedure. Would you like the external or the endoscopic method?"

Cal put his mouth close to her ear. "Perhaps we could discuss it over dinner."

Sophie's eyes widened. "You want me to discuss surgical procedures over dinner?"

Cal gave a reluctant smile. "Okay. Maybe we should save that one for another time. But you will come out with me, won't you? Because if you don't, I'm going to have to find another girl to go with me so I don't look stupid eating at a table for two on my own and that might ruin my chances with you forever."

Sophie shook her head, but her smile was affectionate. "I suppose it would be unfair to cause you that sort of suffering after you rescued me from Dr Chao. Okay. I'll go out with you."

"You won't regret it," said Cal. He held her head in his hands and slowly leaned towards her. When their lips were almost touching, he stilled. He looked into her eyes. "You'll have a good time, Sophie. I promise." He brushed her lips with a light kiss.

He knew he was going to have a good time too.

* * *

Ethan looked at the tablet in concern. As he'd expected, the clavicle was fractured and also displaced, but it looked like there might be a bit more to it than that.

"Ethan? Is everything okay?" asked Sophie. When he didn't answer, she looked down at the x-rays. "Okay. So it looks like the patient has previously fractured her clavicle on at least two occasions."

"But there's nothing in her notes," said Ethan. "And the way the bones have knitted together suggests no treatment was given at the time."

Sophie's voice quivered slightly. "Do you think this could be a domestic violence case?"

"It's possible," said Ethan.

"There was also some bruising on her arms," said Sophie. "And it looked like the patient was favouring her left foot."

Ethan nodded. Despite the situation, he felt proud of Sophie. She was very observant.

Sophie trembled slightly, but there was a determined light in her eye. "I'll deal with this, Ethan. She might be more comfortable speaking to a woman. I'll go and speak to her now."

She turned on her heel and walked towards the cubicle. Ethan could tell she was afraid, but her head was held high. He raced forward to stop her. "No, Sophie!" He grabbed both her arms and moved her away from the cubicle. "You can't."

"Can't I?" Sophie looked surprised. Then she dropped her eyes, her cheekbones stained an attractive pink. "No. You're right. It's not my job."

"It's not that," said Ethan, even though she was right. "But I'd like to rule out other physical causes first. Domestic violence is a common reason for not seeking medical help with an injury, but there are other possible reasons. If the patient has a high pain threshold she could have been suffering serious injuries without realising it. Or even if she has a low pain threshold, her past experiences could have taught her that extreme pain isn't something she should panic about because it's usually nothing."

Sophie said nothing. She stared down at the floor.

"We also need to do a bone profile test," said Ethan. "A high bone turnover can cause weakness in the bones so they're more easily fractured. Or it could be a problem with the vestibular system, of course."

Sophie nodded. She still didn't look at him. "Maybe Dr Chao was right. Maybe I am stupid."

"Of course you're not!" Ethan put his arm around her. "It's okay, Sophie. You haven't done anything wrong. Doctors make mistakes all the time. I've definitely made mistakes. We don't expect perfection and you're a lot closer to perfection than I'd expect anyone to be."

"But if you hadn't stopped me, I'd have gone in there and accused her husband of hitting her," said Sophie.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have done it quite like that," said Ethan. "And I did stop you so it doesn't matter. Look at me, Sophie."

Sophie raised her eyes to his. This did strange things to Ethan's heart rate, but he didn't quite forget what he was talking about.

"Sophie, what you did told me two things. Two very important things," said Ethan. "You're using your intelligence to make observations. Secondly, you care about the patient a lot and you really want to help. Those two things tell me you're going to be a good doctor."

"Really?" said Sophie.

"Really," said Ethan. "And you might be right about the domestic violence. We'll have to wait and see."

"I do actually hope I'm wrong."

"Yes. So do I," admitted Ethan. He hugged her more tightly. "It's okay if you're not ready, but I'd really like it if you could take the bloods for me for the bone profile test. What do you think?"

Sophie stared at him. "You want me to go back in with the patient after what I nearly did?"

"Of course I do," said Ethan.

Sophie's eyes were still slightly wide with shock. She moistened her lips (an action Ethan found considerably more attractive than he would have expected) and nodded. "Okay. If you're sure."

Ethan didn't let go of her. "Of course I'm sure. Don't worry. Everything's fine and you're doing really well."

"Dr Hardy!" said a voice and Ethan jumped.

"Mrs Beauchamp," he said nervously.

Connie gave him that look that made him feel not so much three inches tall as three millimetres. "When I told you you would do well to emulate your brother, I meant that you should try to work a little faster. I did not mean that you should manhandle the medical students."

Ethan quickly removed his arm from around Sophie.

"He was just showing me where my deltoid muscle was, Mrs Beauchamp," said Sophie brightly.

Connie gave her a withering look. "If that's the best you can do, I despair for the future of medicine." She walked away.

Ethan turned back to Sophie. "Right. Okay. Um… where were we?"

"Blood tests."

"Oh, yes. That's right," said Ethan.

"Though if we're supposed to be working quickly, have we got time for this?" said Sophie. "We could just give the patient a blood form and send her to pathology."

Ethan smiled. "I think Mrs Beauchamp would like you. I think that's exactly what she'd say. But I like to do things thoroughly and in view of the possibility of domestic violence, I'd like to get the tests done today."

"But we don't say anything about it to the patient?" said Sophie.

"No. At least not yet." Ethan checked Connie was out of sight and put his hand on Sophie's shoulder. "Are you ready to take the bloods?"

"Ready, Dr Hardy."

"I know you'll be brilliant."

For once, he was right.


	13. Chapter 13

**theverystuffoflife**, I've just written a scene for Lily and Sophie, but it's not in this chapter. One thing that has always struck me about Cal is that he's deluded. If the truth doesn't suit him, he'll convince himself of something else. Thank you for your review!

**Tanith Panic**, thank you very much. I love researching all the medical stuff! I hope I haven't made a mistake yet. There is a medical procedure mentioned in this that I haven't explained as it would hold up the story - I hope I made the right decision.

* * *

Cal was waiting for Sophie when her shift came to an end. "Hi beautiful. How did it go?" He kissed her.

"It went really well," said Sophie. She seemed very excited, though presumably that was because she was going out to dinner with Cal. "I took some bloods. Without stabbing anyone!"

"Well done, baby." Cal kissed her again and slid his arms around her waist. "It's really hard to go back to something after a bad experience. I'm proud of you."

"We were a bit worried about the patient, but it turns out everything's okay," said Sophie. "Well, not okay. She's had a terrible experience. I probably can't tell you what because of patient confidentiality, but she's getting things sorted out." Her smile dimmed. "It is sad though."

Cal kissed her forehead. "I know it is. You do find out terrible things sometimes in this job. But at least she's been strong enough to get help." He changed the subject. He didn't want her to be sad. "Did you do anything else?"

"Well, I didn't help much, but I got to see an emergency," said Sophie. "We had a hypoxaemic patient with trismus who was brought in with a neuromuscular blockade. He needed tracheal intubation and Ethan let me watch."

"Was it successful?" asked Cal, though he couldn't help feeling the question was unnecessary. Sophie was looking too happy for anything else to be the case.

"Yes, it was!" said Sophie. "And Ethan talked to me the whole time he was doing it. Well, not quite the whole time because he needed to concentrate, but he told me as much as he could and then afterwards we sat down and he went through it all with me."

Cal smiled. He thought her enthusiasm was a little bit over the top, but it was sweet. But then her smile faded as she looked past Cal. He turned to see Lily.

Lily was trying to smile. "Sophie. Could I please have a word with you?"

"Not now. We're off out," said Cal, and put his arm firmly around Sophie, propelling her away from Lily and out of the hospital.

"Thanks, Cal," said Sophie gratefully.

"Just call me your Knight in shining armour."

Sophie grimaced. "If you want this date to be a success, it might be better if you didn't say anything like that ever again. Otherwise this evening could turn into a Knightmare."

* * *

Cal had seen a lot of beautiful girls. He liked to think he had extensive experience of beautiful girls. But every so often, one of them did stun him into silence and there was nothing he could do but stare and wonder and feel incredibly smug he'd got here before any of his colleagues.

The first thing Cal noticed about the dress was the bodice. The neckline – not that it was very near her neck - began daringly close to her left breast and moved diagonally upwards, joining with the strap over her right shoulder. A sort of flimsy netting hid her right upper arm from view, but her left arm and shoulder were bare. The skirt was full and ended a bit too close to the knee for Cal's tastes, though her calves were perfectly shaped and her high-heeled shoes, which matched the dress, gave her legs some of the extra length the skirt denied them.

Her hair looked good too, Cal realised when he finally dragged his eyes upwards. Half of it was loose, with dark waves tumbling over her shoulders. Cal sucked in his breath as he imagined the hair falling over his own shoulders as she kissed him. The rest of her hair was piled on top of her head. Cal couldn't see any hairpins, but he imagined removing them one by one, watching wave upon wave unfurling and falling so it fanned out on the pillow.

Maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself by thinking about pillows – but not so very far ahead. He probably only had a few more hours to wait.

"Are those flowers for me?" said Sophie.

Cal looked down almost blankly at the flowers in his arms. His brain felt foggy from looking at her and it took him a moment to get his bearings again. "No, they're for my other girlfriend in the room next door. But you can have them if you like."

Sophie laughed. "It's a good thing I don't believe you."

"A very good thing," agreed Cal. "Because I brought you a vase as well and it's probably just right for hitting me over the head with." He put the flowers into her arms. "So are you going to invite me in?"

Sophie hesitated then stood aside. "I'll just put the flowers in water. They are lovely. Thank you. For the flowers and the vase." She stood on tiptoes to kiss him.

"I thought you probably hadn't brought a vase with you," said Cal.

"No, I hadn't," said Sophie. "I wasn't expecting anyone to give me flowers."

"I expected it as soon as I saw you," said Cal. He moved closer to her. "I just hoped it would be me and no-one else."

"You'll say anything, won't you?" said Sophie almost affectionately, and went into the bathroom.

Cal watched her. The dress was clinging in all the right places and he examined each one of them in detail. He lay down on the bed and fantasised about being back in the bed later that evening.

"Yes, you enjoy that bed while you can," Sophie called from the bathroom. "You won't be seeing it again tonight!"

* * *

Ethan decided to stay at the hospital to do some overtime. If he went home, he would spend the whole time thinking about Sophie and Cal and what they might be doing, and he thought his time could be more productively spent.

Besides, his patient turnover had been even lower than usual. It wasn't possible to work quickly when he was with Sophie. He wanted to include her as much as possible and make sure she understood everything.

He was thinking about Sophie and Cal with alternate concern and jealousy as he made his way out of the cubicle. He was so distracted, he nearly walked into Lily.

"Watch where you're going!" she said as she hastily moved out of his way. She looked at the floor. "I mean please watch where you're going."

"I'm sorry. I was thinking about someone," said Ethan. "I mean… some_thing_. Excuse me." He started to walk around her. He was willing to believe Lily had meant well in her dealings with Sophie, but that didn't mean he was feeling particularly friendly towards her.

Lily's voice stopped him. "Ethan, have you got a minute?"

"Yes, of course," said Ethan, and then silently berated himself for not saying no.

"How is it going with Sophie?"

Ethan tensed up, but he answered calmly. "Very well. She's been taking bloods for me. She's very competent."

Lily looked almost as though she was in pain. She started to speak, but her voice was soft and Ethan didn't hear because another voice cut across it.

"Dr Hardy. Dr Chao. Is there a reason why you're standing in the corridor blocking everyone's way?" asked Connie.

"Yes, I-" began Ethan, but Connie cut him off.

"I'm glad there's a reason, but I don't need to hear it. Just sort out the problem and get on with your work." She stalked away, her heels clacking on the hard floors.

"I need to go," said Lily. She turned and hurried away, almost as though something had frightened her.

Considering she had just been spoken to by Connie Beauchamp, fear was a reasonable emotion. But it wasn't an emotion Lily Chao usually showed.

* * *

Cal opened the door of the restaurant with an extravagant gesture and motioned for Sophie to go through. He'd hoped she'd be impressed, but she actually seemed more amused.

Nerves, Cal decided as they were shown to their table. Sophie obviously wasn't used to being treated well – but that was about to change.

When the waiter arrived, Cal asked for their best champagne, but Sophie interrupted.

"Thanks, Cal, but I don't drink." She smiled at the waiter. "I'd like some sparkling water, please."

Cal was momentarily speechless. "You don't drink?"

"Only very occasionally and never when I'm working the next day," said Sophie.

"Oh. Okay," said Cal. "Then we'll both have your very best sparkling water." The waiter left the table and Cal picked up the menu, though he didn't look at it. Instead he looked at Sophie. "I'm glad you had a good day. I was worried about you."

"That's sweet of you, Cal, but I was fine," said Sophie. "I really enjoy working with Ethan."

Cal wished he'd kept quiet. "I'm… glad," he said, and turned his attention to the menu. Then he realised he hadn't sounded very convincing and lifted his head enough to see her. "I am a bit disappointed Zoe wouldn't let you work with me, but the most important thing is that you're happy."

"I am happy," said Sophie. She put her menu down and smiled at him. "And all because of you. Thank you, Cal. If you and Ethan hadn't helped me I'd probably have gone home and never come back."

"I'd like to think anyone would have done it," said Cal. He winked. "Though perhaps not everyone would have been successful as me."

"Modest as ever, I see," said Sophie.

"I wasn't necessarily successful because I'm brilliant," said Cal quickly. "Maybe I'm so annoying, Zoe would have done anything to shut me up." He grinned. "But I think I'm just brilliant."

"I suppose someone has to," said Sophie. She paused and looked down at the table. Her lips parted as though she was about to speak, but then she seemed to change her mind.

Cal slid his hand across the table so his fingertips touched hers. She jumped at the contact. "What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice soft.

Sophie blushed a little and looked down at their hands. "I was just thinking I could probably forgive you for thinking you're brilliant. Because you really were brilliant yesterday."

"Well, it would be very bad manners to argue with my beautiful date." Cal moved his hand slightly so the tips of his fingers were between hers. He was used to compliments, but perhaps they meant a little bit more from Sophie. She wasn't just saying it to flatter him or to get into either his good books or his bed. If she paid him a compliment, she meant it. "I'm glad I could help. I would have been sad if you'd left."

"Really?" said Sophie. Her lips trembled into a smile.

"Devastated," said Cal seriously.

Sophie laughed. "Now I know you're exaggerating. But I'm glad I came back. It's been a really good day. Ethan is very kind and very thorough. He explains everything really well."

"But is it still a really good day?" asked Cal. He placed his fingers on top of hers. "Now you're here with me?"

"So far," admitted Sophie.

Cal smiled. "So I'm a good rebound guy?"

"The best I've ever rebounded with." Sophie picked up her menu again. "What do you recommend?"

"An early night in your hotel followed by breakfast," said Cal. "But I'd settle for another date tomorrow night."

"You'll have to ask me later and see," said Sophie. Her gaze faltered. "About the second one, I mean. Not the first one. That's not going to happen. But the second one… maybe."

Cal was too unsurprised to be disappointed. "Better a maybe than a no." He decided to change the subject. He didn't want to put too much pressure on her. He wasn't convinced that would work with Sophie. "To start I'd recommend the-"

He stopped as he heard a collective gasp from somewhere behind him. At the same moment, Sophie shot to her feet. "Cal, someone's just collapsed."


	14. Chapter 14

**Minnie4114**, don't worry about not commenting, I'm just happy you're still reading. Oh yes, I always planned to pair Sophie with Ethan! I hope she doesn't come across as treating Cal badly. I'll see what I can do about a brotherly relationship conversation. That could be interesting. Thanks for the idea and the review!

**Tanith Panic**, I'm glad you think the relationship between Sophie and Cal is going well. I'm sure Cal would agree with you! Thank you for the review and I hope you like the next chapter.

* * *

A man was lying on the floor, groaning. Several panicked diners were gathered around him. One was trying to undo his jacket. Another was flapping her hands and shrieking about ambulances.

"Everyone stand back, please. I'm a doctor," said Cal, his voice firm but calm as he knelt down beside the man. His eyes were closed, but Cal didn't think he was unconscious. He put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Hi, my name's Cal. I'm a doctor. This is Sophie: she's a medical student. Can you tell us your name?"

"Ja… Jason."

"Are you in pain, Jason?" asked Cal.

"My… stomach…." groaned Jason. There were beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Sophie, why don't you try to find out what's wrong?" said Cal, making space for her.

Sophie froze. "Are you sure?"

Cal reached for her hand. "Completely sure. I trust you and I'll be right here."

After a moment's hesitation, Sophie knelt beside him, her knee against Cal's. "Hi Jason. I'm Sophie. How long have you been feeling like this?"

"Since I ate that lobster!" moaned Jason.

Sophie's voice was kind. "Yes, lobster can be a bit funny sometimes. How long ago would you say you ate it?"

"Five minutes ago."

"And how did the lobster taste?"

Jason groaned again. "It tasted normal. But a lot of things taste normal when they're not."

Cal squeezed Sophie's hand. "Could you speed it up a bit?"

Sophie looked panicky again. "You do it, Cal."

"No, you can do it. Pretend we're in the ED. There's no need to panic."

Sophie nodded and put her hand on Jason's shoulder. "Can you show me where the pain is, Jason?" As Jason's arms were wrapped around his stomach, it was difficult to be sure if he was indicating any particular part of it.

Jason lifted his right arm, his face creased with pain. "Here," he said, touching the right of his stomach.

"Sophie?" said Cal. "Would you like me to call for an ambulance?"

"Not yet," said Sophie. She placed two fingers on the place Jason had indicated. He screamed.

"Sophie, you know what's wrong," said Cal. "We don't need to mess around with tests."

Sophie ignored him. "I'm sorry, Jason, but this might hurt more." She withdrew her fingers and he screamed again. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I know you're not really up to having a chat, Jason, but are you sure you haven't experienced any other abdominal pain over the last six to twenty-four hours?"

"No… yes…" Jason sounded uncertain. His voice rose. "I can't think, okay! Just stop the pain! Maybe it was hurting earlier, but I was nervous about tonight. I'm having a meeting with my boss. He's trying to decide whether to renew my contract or not. I thought it was just nerves."

"It's possible," said Sophie. "Can you tell me where the pain was that you experienced earlier?"

"In the… in the… middle…." said Jason, his eyes closing.

"Sophie, I really think-" began Cal.

"But now it's over on the side?" said Sophie.

Jason nodded, his eyes closing.

Sophie touched his forehead. "I think you have a temperature too. Cal, could you call for an ambulance, please?"

Cal already had his phone out. "I can tell you've been working with Ethan."

Sophie looked at him uncertainly.

"It's okay," said Cal quickly. "Just keep going. You're doing fine."

Sophie turned back to Jason. "Okay, Jason. I think you might have appendicitis. I know that sounds horrible, but it's a very common operation and something the hospital can fix for you, as well as easing your pain."

On the phone, Cal was already speaking to the paramedics, explaining the situation. As he spoke, he gave part of his mind to listening to what Sophie was saying, ready to help her if needed.

"Did you say you were here with your boss, Jason?" asked Sophie. "We need to let him know."

Jason grimaced, but made no answer.

Sophie looked up at a waiter who'd arrived and was hovering worriedly. "Do you know which table Jason was sitting at? We need to inform his boss. Jason, is there anyone we can phone for you?"

"My wife." Jason started to say something else, but the words morphed into a cry of pain. "I left my phone… on the table."

Sophie called the waiter back and asked him to bring Jason's phone.

Cal finished the phone call. "Sophie, do you know what Jason can do to ease the pain?"

"I think so," said Sophie. "Jason, it might help if you can pull your knees up to your chest. I'll help you."

"I'll do it." Cal took hold of Jason's legs. "If I just lift them like this…"

"No, stop!" Jason said in sudden panic.

"It's okay, Jason," said Sophie. "It's going to be okay. We're here and the ambulance is coming."

"I feel sick," said Jason. His face had taken on a green tinge.

"That's okay. That's normal," said Cal, though he was worried.

Jason began to heave. Sophie moved quickly into action, lifting her skirt and holding it for Jason to be sick into. "There, it's okay, Jason. It's okay."

"Your dress," said Jason.

"It doesn't matter," said Sophie. "I'm sure it'll wash."

Jason looked miserable. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Around him, some of the diners were either getting to their feet and moving away or shouting for a waiter, either asking to be reseated or asking for their bills.

"It's okay," said Sophie. She touched his shoulder. "How's the pain?"

"Bad."

"Would you like to try putting your knees up?" said Sophie.

Jason agreed and Cal helped him.

"There. Is that better?" said Sophie.

"I don't know… it's not worse…"

"That's good. I'm sure the ambulance won't be very long," said Sophie.

Cal looked up as a man in a suit appeared. "Hi, are you Jason's boss?"

"No, I am the manager of the restaurant!" the man hissed. "Can't you move him? I cannot have him disturbing my customers."

"This man is very ill," said Cal. "I know it's not very pleasant for your other customers, but it's not his fault. Sophie very kindly let him be sick onto her dress so I don't think the floor has suffered."

The restaurant owner raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Oh if the floor is okay, oh yes, that makes everything all right! My customers, my reputation, they don't matter!"

"Of course your customers matter," said Cal evenly. "Particularly, at this moment, the gentleman on the floor."

The owner of the restaurant was still spluttering incandescently. "I will ban you from this restaurant!" he told Sophie.

Cal put his hand protectively on her shoulder. "That seems a bit silly considering everything she's done to help. But don't worry. I won't bring her here again. Next time I'll take her somewhere where she'll be treated with respect."

* * *

Sophie was wrong. Cal did get to see her bed again that night. They were alone in her hotel room and Sophie had just slipped into something more comfortable that wasn't covered in vomit, but she was trembling like a leaf and even Cal didn't have the heart to seduce her now.

"You did really well," he said as he hugged her. "Some of the most difficult emergency situations are the ones that take place outside the ED. Everyone expects us to know what to do and usually we do, but they don't realise how reliant we are on our equipment. We just have to do our best. And that's what you did, okay?"

"No, I didn't," said Sophie. "I panicked."

Cal lifted her chin. "But you carried on. Even qualified doctors panic sometimes. Ethan says he's unflappable, but I've seen him flap loads of times."

"Maybe that's because you're there," said Sophie.

Cal wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Sorry, Cal. That came out wrong," said Sophie. "I just mean that being watched by his older brother who has the same job as him probably is quite daunting."

"I think it was at first," admitted Cal. "But not so much now. He's so far ahead of me now and I don't think I'll ever…" He stopped. "As I was saying, all doctors panic sometimes."

"Including you?" said Sophie.

Cal hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. Including me. I pretend nothing affects me, but it's not true and I think all the hospital staff know it."

Sophie put her arm around him. "I'm sure they understand it happens to everyone. What happens when you panic? How do you deal with it?"

"I deal with it in the way I was telling you about before," said Cal. "I just take a moment, I breathe, and it comes back to me." He gave an embarrassed smile. "To be honest, I usually need to be told to do it. You do have to look out for each other a bit in this job." He sighed. "I just wish I'd done a better job at looking out for you."

Sophie stared at him. "What are you talking about? You did a brilliant job with me. You calmed me down. You reminded me to work faster. You believed in me. I don't think I did very well, but I managed to do almost everything."

Cal gave a sad smile. "Ethan would have looked after you better than me."

"You don't know that," said Sophie. "Ethan never tells me to work faster."

"It would be a bit hypocritical if he did," admitted Cal.

Sophie gave him a sweet smile. "Then he's not perfect, is he?"

"I never said he was," said Cal with feeling.

Sophie linked her fingers with his. "So you've both got good points and bad points, haven't you? Like most people."

Cal decided that was enough about his insecurities. "I never said I had any bad points."

Sophie smiled. "I suppose a modesty transplant was a bit much to expect."

"Well, you're not qualified to do transplants yet, are you? Give it a few years and I'm sure you'll be able to do anything you want." Cal kissed her forehead. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Much better," said Sophie. She'd stopped trembling and the smile she gave him looked genuine.

"Because if you're not, I could stay," said Cal. He kissed her cheek. "We wouldn't have to do anything. Unless you want to." He kissed the corner of her mouth. "But you might feel more upset if you're on your own."

"Too late," said Sophie as she avoided the kiss he aimed at her lips. "You've made me feel better already." Then she smiled. It was Sophie who initiated the next kiss. "Sorry, Cal. I do like you, but I suppose I'm old-fashioned like that."

Cal sighed. He wasn't surprised. A lot of girls said they didn't want it, only to let him talk him into it, but it sounded like Sophie actually meant it. "There's always tomorrow night."

Sophie smiled mischievously. "You haven't asked about tomorrow night yet. I might already have a date for all you know."

"What?" Cal stared at her. "You haven't, have you?"

Sophie looked amused. "You're getting a bit possessive, aren't you? No, I haven't."

Cal relaxed. "Then keep tomorrow night free and maybe you'll get an invitation."

"Maybe I will," agreed Sophie. "Maybe I'll have more than one. Maybe I'll have a choice to make."

"A choice?" burst out Cal.

Sophie kissed his cheek. "You see? Boasting about actual and even potential conquests really isn't attractive."

Cal caught her face in his hands and gave her a kiss that hinted at the delights she was postponing. "I'm busy tonight anyway. I have a date with a dress and a washing machine. If I get it done tonight, it'll be dry by tomorrow."

Sophie's eyes widened and she gave a little gasp. "Really, Cal? You'd do that?"

"Of course," said Cal, and kissed her again. "And if that's not the way to your heart, I don't know what is."

"I didn't know you were interested in my heart," said Sophie softly.

"I'm a doctor," said Cal. He kissed her neck. "I'm interested in every part of your body."

Sophie pushed him away. "I think it's time for you to go home."

"Not until you've kissed me again," said Cal.


	15. Chapter 15

**CasualtyFanForever81**, thank you for the review - I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'm afraid Lily only has a short scene in this chapter, but your review has inspired a whole new storyline so Lily will be in it a lot more after that.

**Tanith Panic,** thank you so much for your kind words. I'm glad you think Sophie did brilliantly. I have painful stomach cramps too and I agree it helps, though I did check a few medical sites to make sure it worked with appendicitis too. I hope you're okay atm!

Thank you to everyone else who's still reading too. Maybe there has been a bit too much focus on Cal and Ethan, but some of the other Casualty characters will be coming into it more over the next few chapters. I really appreciate all the reviews as they help me to learn as well as making me happy.

* * *

Ethan was just beginning to drift off when he heard the front door open. He noted the sound with some relief – Sophie clearly hadn't let Cal stay the night, though they'd had more than enough time for certain activities – and closed his eyes again, letting himself sink into sleep.

There was a knock on his bedroom door. "Ethan? Are you asleep?"

Ethan sighed. "Nearly!" he shouted.

"What?" Cal opened the door. "Are you awake or not?"

Ethan considered saying no, but doubted he'd get away with it. "I was nearly asleep," he said pointedly.

"Good. I didn't wake you then," said Cal, and came over to the bed. "Listen, Nibbles, you know how to work the washing machine, don't you?"

He waved something close to Ethan's head. Ethan's nostrils were assailed with the stench of vomit. "Caleb, you didn't."

"No, it wasn't me," said Cal. "But I said I'd wash it."

Ethan reluctantly sat up. "You know how to use the washing machine, Caleb."

"I don't know all those fancy settings!" whined Cal. "Sophie did tell me which setting, but I can't remember and I don't want to get it wrong. It might make it shrink or something. Or explode."

Ethan sighed heavily. "Okay, Caleb. I'll get out of my nice warm bed and help you to use the washing machine in the middle of the night. It's not like you're asking anything unreasonable, is it?"

Cal waved the revolting garment in Ethan's face again. "Hurry up! I'm going to have to stay up till it's finished so I can hang it up and I'm already tired."

Ethan thought grimly that if Cal was tired, maybe he shouldn't have indulged in such active pursuits with Sophie, but he decided not to say so in case Cal gave him details. He got out of bed. "What is it?"

"It's a dress," said Cal as though this was obvious. "Sophie's dress."

Ethan forgot his annoyance. "Is she okay? Did you take her back to the hotel? Do you know what's wrong? Or was it just a reaction to your company?"

"Hilarious!" said Cal. "It wasn't Sophie who was sick."

"That's a relief," said Ethan with feeling. "Poor Sophie, though. It happens to every doctor sooner or later, but not usually when you're in your best clothes. What happened?"

"We met a guy with appendicitis."

"Really?" said Ethan. "That sounds like an unfortunate appendix to your evening."

Cal sighed. "It was the only appendix I got too."

Ethan tried not to feel happy. After all, it was still inevitable. It had just been postponed, that was all. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Turns out she's old-fashioned," said Cal moodily.

"She probably didn't have a very good time," said Ethan as he followed Cal to the kitchen. "She probably just wanted the evening to end."

Cal swung to face him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Sorry. I'm a bit tired. That came out wrong," said Ethan. "I just meant that she probably didn't enjoy having her dress vomited on and that ruined her evening. Couldn't she get out of the way in time?"

"No, she let him do it," said Cal. "There wasn't anything for him to be sick into and she didn't want him to puke on the restaurant floor." His eyes shone with admiration. "I've been out with lots of girls, Ethan, but I've never seen a girl do something like that before."

"Is she okay?" said Ethan anxiously. "She's not upset or anything?"

"She was a little bit upset," said Cal with a worried frown. "She wasn't happy with how she handled everything and she did get a bit panicky at first, but she did well and I told her that. She's a bit slow and cautious, but that's understandable."

"Yes. She is still a student," said Ethan.

"And she's working with you," said Cal.

Ethan was quite tempted to go back to bad and leave Cal to solve his own problems, but he reminded himself he was doing this for Sophie, not Cal. He switched the washing machine on and carefully turned the dress inside out so he could read the washing instructions. "Wash at 30 degrees… that's not difficult. You do it, Caleb. Press that button and keep pressing it till it says 30 degrees."

Cal was slightly heavy-handed about it and accidentally went from 20 to 40, but eventually he got it right.

"Now press the start button," said Ethan.

Cal pressed the off button. He looked blankly at Ethan. "The light's gone off."

"Did you do that on purpose or are you really that stupid?" said Ethan. "That's the on-off button. _This_ is the start button."

Cal pressed the start button. Nothing happened. "I think you broke it, Nibbles."

Ethan didn't speak until the urge to shake him had passed. "No, I didn't break it," Ethan said with forced patience. "The start button doesn't do anything when the machine is switched off. Switch it on first. There, that's right. Now put it back on 30 degrees like you did before."

"Why doesn't it stay on 30?" said Cal, aggrieved.

"Because the default is 40," said Ethan.

Cal pressed the wrong button. "What's wrong with the numbers? The lowest I'm getting is 400 degrees. You can't wash anything at these temperatures! Are you sure you didn't break it?"

"You're pressing the wrong button," said Ethan. "That's the spin speed. Put it on 1400. Now put this one onto 30. Now show me the start button."

"It's this one," said Cal. "I'm not stupid, you know, Ethan. I'm a doctor."

"Don't worry. I don't think anyone would mistake you for a washing machine salesman," said Ethan. He watched as Cal pressed the correct button. "Can I go back to bed now?"

"Yeah, whatever, see you tomorrow," Cal said vaguely.

"You're welcome," said Ethan pointedly as he left the kitchen.

"What?" Cal called after him. "What am I welcome to? Your medical student?"

Ethan slammed his bedroom door.

He was still awake when Cal came to ask him how to open the washing machine.

* * *

Lily hadn't slept well. Again. The last thing she needed was an early shift at the hospital, but she didn't even consider taking the day off. Others might, but not Lily Chao. She'd had her chance to sleep. Now was her chance to do her job.

Besides, she had something important to do today. She needed to speak to Ethan about Sophie and find out if she'd really made as much of a mistake as she was beginning to fear she'd made.

She couldn't trust anything Cal said, of course. He still thought the sun shone out of Sophie's backside, which Lily didn't doubt he knew intimately. But she thought she could trust Ethan to be honest, if only because he wasn't any good at telling lies.

If she had been wrong, which Lily had to admit seemed more than likely, the day would become even more difficult. The attractions of spending the day in bed momentarily increased at this thought, but Lily Chao was not a coward. She wasn't afraid to go up to Sophie and apologise and admit she made a mistake. She wouldn't relish it, but she certainly wasn't afraid.

* * *

Cal wasn't surprised when Sophie didn't answer the door. After all, she didn't know who it was. She wasn't going to answer the door to any old random person when she might not actually be dressed yet.

From Cal's point of view, that was a pity. But much as infuriated him, he liked the fact that she didn't always let him have his way and he was glad she was careful about opening the door because he did want her to be safe.

After a while, he gave up on knocking and decided to phone her.

"Hi, Cal. I don't suppose you're right outside my door?"

Cal laughed. He had got up quite early today, but clearly not quite early enough to fool Sophie. "Hey, beautiful. Are you psychic as well as gorgeous?"

"Quite possibly," said Sophie. "I know what you're after, anyway."

"I'm not after anything," said Cal flirtatiously. "I've just got something I want to show you."

"Why don't you wait till we get to the ED and show me in front of all the staff?"

"Because it's private," said Cal.

Sophie's voice was dry. "I don't doubt it. So is it a big thing or a little thing?"

"It's probably only a little thing really," said Cal. It wasn't like he'd paid for it to be dry-cleaned. "But I hope you'll be pleased."

There was a silence. Then Sophie spoke again. Her voice was softer. "If you're voluntarily referring to it as a little thing, I don't think I've got any need to worry."

"No, there's nothing to worry about," said Cal. He was confused, but Sophie was a girl. He couldn't expect her to make sense all the time. "Are you going to let me in or not?"

"Yes, I am," said Sophie. "But not quite yet."

She kept him waiting for fifteen minutes.

Cal kissed her. "What were you doing that you couldn't let me come and help you with?"

"My make-up," said Sophie. "If you are a secret transvestite, you've forgotten to tell me, so I didn't think you'd be any good at it."

"So you were dressed already," said Cal, disappointed.

"I should throw you out for that," said Sophie.

Cal kissed her again. "But you won't. Not when I spent all night washing your dress for you." He offered her the bag he was holding.

Sophie's face lit up. "You managed to wash it, Cal?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know I'm pretty good with a washing machine."

"You're domesticated, then?" said Sophie.

"Completely," said Cal without feeling even slightly guilty. After all, he was the one who'd pressed the buttons. "I can prove it if you like."

Sophie took the dress out of the bag. "It looks like you already have proved it. Thank you, Cal." She threw her arms around him and kissed him. "You're the best and I'll love you forever."

"Really?" said Cal. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel just slightly worried.

"No, I wouldn't have thought so," said Sophie.

"Oh," said Cal. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel just slightly hurt.

"No-one ever means it when they say that, do they?" continued Sophie. "But that doesn't mean I'm not grateful. You're amazing." She hugged him tightly.

"Not as amazing as you," said Cal.

"I didn't know there was anyone more amazing than you."

"That's very sweet of you to say so," said Cal, and kissed her again.

Sophie pushed him away. "That's not what I meant! I was making fun of you, not complimenting you."

"Oh," said Cal. "Well. It's… easy to get those two mixed up."

"Maybe that explains all the compliments you think you've had!" said Sophie.

Cal decided not to pursue that conversation. "But as I was saying before you told me I was the best and you'd love me forever, which I'm _fairly_ sure was a compliment, I am quite domesticated. So I was thinking. Why don't you come over to my place tonight and I'll cook you dinner? Just you, me, a bottle of sparkling water, a dinner to rival last night's and no-one with appendicitis?"

"What about Ethan?" said Sophie.

"He's already had appendicitis," said Cal.

Sophie shook her head, laughing. "No, I mean will he be having dinner with us?"

"No," said Cal firmly. "Ethan has other plans."


	16. Chapter 16

**CasualtyFanForever81**, thank you for your review, I'm really happy you enjoyed the update. Lily has one scene in this chapter - I hope you like it.

**AVMabs**, you're Cal? Really? Then could I please have a passionate, raging affair with you? Bring your brother. Okay, now I've got that out of the way (and not that I would ever have an affair for real), thank you for reading and reviewing - it's so lovely when someone identifies with something I've written.

**ETWentHome**, aw thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Sophie probably does like Cal slightly more at the moment, but she's got two more days in the ED and a lot can happen in a day. Especially in this story!

**Tanith Panic**, yes, it finally got washed! I realised last night I might have implied that she actually stayed and ate in the restaurant dressed like that, but she definitely didn't! That's too much even for me. Thank you for your review - I'm happy you like it so far.

* * *

Ethan knew it was rude to stare.

He knew it was a particularly bad idea to stare at your brother's girlfriend, and he also knew that he would be in a lot of trouble if Sophie said she couldn't work with Ethan anymore because he kept unnerving her with his creepy staring. But very occasionally it was difficult to look away.

But Ethan managed it. Just about.

He shouldn't be staring and he wouldn't stare. It was as simple as that.

"What's wrong?" said Cal, an amused look on his face. "Haven't you seen a girl before?"

"O-of course I have," said Ethan.

"But not a girl like Sophie, obviously," said Cal. He stood beside Ethan and watched as Sophie talked to Zoe. They were supposed to be discussing how Sophie had found working with Ethan yesterday, but it looked like they'd moved on to comparing shoes. "Does she look gorgeously stunningly hot or does she look gorgeously stunningly hot?"

Ethan decided it might be better if he didn't even attempt to answer that one. "That's the dress I helped you wash for her, isn't it?"

If he was expecting some sort of acknowledgement from Cal, he was disappointed, if not surprised. "She wants to show it to the guy with appendicitis. I'm not completely sure how I feel about that, but Sophie says she needs to show him the dress is okay so he doesn't have to worry about buying her a new one."

"I'm sure it's no more than that," said Ethan.

"No. Of course it's not," said Cal quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. Is she like that with you as well?"

"Showing me her dresses?" Ethan shook his head, trying not to look disappointed. "No."

"No, I mean… challenging you all the time," said Cal. "Whenever I try to pay her a compliment or flirt with her or try to get into her… into her good books, she's always got a smart answer for me."

Ethan hid a smile. "She's not like that with me, but I've never tried to get into her 'good books'."

"No, I guessed _that_," said Cal. "But what about when you accidentally patronise her? Does she get all sarcastic?"

"Never," said Ethan. "Sometimes I worry that I sound patronising and I apologise, but she always says I wasn't patronising."

Cal appeared nonplussed. "Does she ever make jokes where she seems to be trying to make you look stupid?"

"Not that I've noticed," said Ethan. "We joke with each other quite a lot, but it's not like that."

"I suppose it must be just me, then," said Cal with a sigh. He actually looked a bit sad.

"Is it possible it's a method of flirtation?" said Ethan. He was aware that he was going well outside his areas of expertise, but it bothered him to see Cal looking sad. He hated the way Cal usually treated girls and he wasn't going to stand by and let him treat Sophie like that, but he'd really wanted Cal's next relationship, his first for a while if you discounted one-night stands, to be a positive experience for him.

He just wished it wasn't with Sophie.

To his relief, Cal looked a bit happier. "Yeah," he said, nodding. "Yes, that would make sense. She probably wouldn't treat us both the same. Because we're completely different."

It was Ethan's turn to feel a bit sad then.

* * *

Lily pushed the curtain aside, her head still turned towards her patient. "If you would like to come this way, I will-"

She stopped as she realised the cubicle was occupied.

"What do you think you are doing?" exclaimed Lily. "This is a hospital not a… a make-out spot!"

Cal and Sophie separated at the sound of her voice. Sophie at least had the grace to look completely horrified, but Cal seemed to find it amusing.

Lily noted with some relief that they were fully-dressed and barely dishevelled, but that didn't really make their behaviour in any way acceptable. "I'm sorry," she said to her patient in a quiet voice. "Some of our medical students haven't yet learned how to behave. It won't happen again."

"I'm sorry, Dr Chao," said Sophie. She got off Cal's lap without looking at him. "I… I'm really sorry."

"I should think so too," said Lily, her voice quiet but dangerous.

Cal was grinning as he jumped off the bed and made his way out. "So, you think I still look young and handsome enough to be a student?"

"Obviously, you'd be a mature student," said Lily cuttingly. "Or perhaps that should be _im_mature. As for handsome – perhaps you should look in a mirror on your way out."

"I will!" Cal called as he walked away. "I always enjoy that!"

Lily apologised to her patient again and got on with her job, but she hadn't forgotten the incident. She was angry and disgusted with Cal and Sophie of course – an ED was no place for that type of behaviour and she would report them – but she realised with some shock that she also felt relieved.

She'd been seriously beginning to believe that she'd misjudged Sophie, but her behaviour today showed Lily that she'd been right all the time. Sophie had shown no respect either for the ED or for the patients who visited it. Even if anxiety problems had hindered her in the first couple of days, it clearly wasn't a problem for her now. She certainly wasn't lacking in confidence if she was willing to exchange bodily fluids with Cal in a cubicle. Of course, they didn't seem to have got further than sharing saliva, but who knew what would have happened if Lily hadn't walked in?

For once, Lily was quite looking forward to her break. All she had to do was decide whether to report the incident to Zoe or Connie.

* * *

Cal chased down the corridor after Sophie. "Sophie, wait!" She ignored him, but she was still wearing her heels and he caught her up easily. He took hold of her arm and turned her to face him as gently as he could. "What's wrong?"

"What's _wrong_?" said Sophie. She tore her arm from his grasp. "Are you stupid as well as completely perverted?"

"Considering what my job is, I don't think I can be stupid," said Cal. "And as for perverted, I didn't hear you complaining."

Sophie glared at him. "You took me by surprise. I didn't know you were going to do _that_!"

Cal was surprised. "What did you think I was going to do?"

"You told me you didn't feel well!" said Sophie. "So I thought, I don't know, that you were telling the truth?"

"I wasn't _lying_," said Cal with a winning smile. "I was giving you a pretext for coming into a cubicle with me."

"No, you were lying," said Sophie. "And then you picked me up and put me on your lap!"

Cal looked at her in disbelief. "You started it. You're the one who held my hand."

"I was taking your pulse!" said Sophie. "Like you told me to! By the way, it's a bit high." She looked him in the eye. "Clearly you're not as fit as Ethan."

Cal really lost it then. "What's that supposed to mean?" he screamed.

Sophie shook her head chidingly. "Calm down. All I said was your pulse is faster than his."

"Well, if it is, it's your fault," said Cal stroppily.

"Then it's a good thing I'm working with Ethan and not you, isn't it?" said Sophie. "And by the way, you can forget about dinner."

"Who said I'd asked you?"

"You did!"

Then someone grasped Cal's arm. "What are you doing?" hissed Ethan. "Mrs Beauchamp heard you! I had to tell her it was a husband and wife I'd been treating! I said I'd deal with it, but she said she'd be with me in a minute. Now get out of here, Cal, quickly! Sophie, you stay with me. Your break's nearly over anyway."

"You see? It's not just me who tells lies!" was Cal's parting shot.

But it was one he rather regretted after seeing the look on Sophie's face.

* * *

When Cal had gone, Ethan turned quickly to Sophie. "We'll talk when Mrs Beauchamp has-" He stopped, his heart twisting as he saw the tears in her eyes. "Sophie, don't worry. I'm sure it'll be all right."

"I'm okay," said Sophie and blinked hard.

Ethan put his arm around her. "Why don't you get a cup of tea while I speak to Mrs Beauchamp?"

"No, it was my fault," said Sophie. "I should stay and help you."

"It's all right. I'm sure I can-" Ethan stopped as he heard the familiar tapping of heels and quickly let go of her.

"So, where is this _couple_?" said Connie in a tone of voice that suggested she hadn't been fooled by Ethan at all.

"They've… gone," said Ethan.

"I see," said Connie in a dangerously polite voice. "Could you please tell me _exactly_ what happened?"

"I…" Ethan glanced at Sophie for help.

"Now," said Connie.

Sophie looked ready to cry again. "They were horrible, Mrs Beauchamp! The woman looked at me like I was a slug and she demanded that I get out, but the man wanted me to stay and take his pulse and when he did, he grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap and then the woman started screaming at him…"

Ethan tried not to look too horrified. He was a bad liar partly because he could never think of what to say. Other people lied convincingly but said far too much.

Connie looked momentarily as shocked as Ethan was feeling, but then she laid her hand on Sophie's shoulder. "I'm very sorry this has happened in our hospital, Sophie. This is not acceptable and the patient will be reported. Dr Hardy, please take Sophie to the staff room and stay with her while I phone the police."

Sophie looked horrified. "No, you can't do that!"

Connie looked at Sophie in a way that made her visibly wilt. "Excuse me?"

"I think… um… things are a little more… complicated than they first appear," said Ethan.

"There's nothing complicated about it, Dr Hardy. This is a clear case of assault."

"Um… maybe," said Sophie. "But the only one who can press charges is me. And I won't. Because… I did them a favour. The man finally admitted he needed to be back in rehab. The woman has been trying to get him to do that for ages. I don't want him to mess up his life even more and it all turned out okay because Ethan rescued me. So I said if they left now I wouldn't say anything more about it and they left. So everything's fine."

Ethan wasn't at all sure he agreed with that assessment.

"But we still need to make a written report of this," said Connie. "What are their names?"

"I don't know," said Sophie. "They were using fake names. We worked that out when what they were saying didn't match up with the case notes. But they wouldn't give their real names."

"I see," said Connie. "It certainly wouldn't be fair for an innocent couple to suffer for another's crime. You will, of course, make a full report of the incident. Please come and find me when you're ready to do that."


	17. Chapter 17

**Tanith Panic**, thank you very much for your review. I'm happy you liked Lily's put-down lines to Cal. I do love Cal to bits, but I also love making him suffer! They are both rascals so maybe they deserve each other and Ethan's had a lucky escape!

**TheAtomicCheesepuff**, it isn't very easy to fool Connie! I'm happy you empathise with one of my characters (not that Ethan is really mine, except in my dreams). When I get confronted, I usually start talking rubbish and making it worse! Thank you for your review.

**ETWentHome**, thank you for the review. Yes, Sophie has got herself into another awkward situation, which is also awkward for me as a writer as I have to find a reason to keep her at the hospital! Let's hope Sophie and I both get out of this one!

* * *

Sophie's eyes were filling with tears as she looked up at Ethan. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I'm so sorry. For… everything. For arguing with Cal. For lying to Mrs Beauchamp. For…" She seemed to be trying to think of something else. "Existing?"

Ethan's anger melted away. His heart melted a bit with it. "I think that's taking things a little too far. But I'm not sure what we're going to do."

"Maybe I could think of something," said Sophie.

"No!" Ethan said in a panic. "Don't do that, Sophie. You've… you've thought of enough things already."

Sophie's tears began to fall. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I never should have said all that. I just panicked and I started talking and I couldn't stop."

Ethan reached out his hands helplessly. "Sophie, don't cry. I'm sure we can work this out. Everything will be fine with Cal too. He really likes you." He wasn't completely sure if that was true, but he'd never known Cal to stay up half the night doing anybody else's washing.

"But what about you?" said Sophie. "Do you like me?"

Ethan took a step closer.

"As a friend, I mean," said Sophie quickly. "Of course."

"Of course," echoed Ethan.

"Because… because I really like you," said Sophie tremulously. "As a friend. As a doctor. As a mentor. I really love working with you and I think we work well together, but now I've messed it up and you might never went to work with me again."

She began to sob. Ethan caught her in his arms. "Of course I still want to work with you. I love working with you too and you haven't messed anything up. It's all right. Don't worry. We'll start working together again as soon as you're feeling better."

"I feel like I do nothing but cause trouble!" wailed Sophie.

Ethan stroked her shoulder. "It is always easier to dwell on the bad things. The mistakes. But that's not usually a true reflection of what's happened and it's definitely not true in your case. You've done very well and you've helped a lot. You're kind and intelligent and amusing and… you've been brilliant and I'm very glad I'm working with you."

"Really?" said Sophie.

"Really," said Ethan. "And you know what a terrible liar I am."

* * *

Lily couldn't believe it was happening again. She marched up to the couple and didn't trouble to keep the annoyance from her voice. "Everywhere I look today, Sophie, I see you cuddling a doctor. First Dr Knight; now Dr Hardy. Who will it be next?"

"Probably not you, Dr Chao," said Sophie without looking at Lily.

Ethan flinched visibly at that and held onto Sophie a little more tightly.

"For once, I think we are in agreement," said Lily, her arms folded.

"If you'd come along five minutes ago, you'd have seen Mrs Beauchamp touching my arm," said Sophie, who was still holding onto Ethan. "That's got to be as good as a hug from her."

Ethan looked like he really wished he was somewhere else. But he didn't let go of Sophie. "Sophie, let's go… somewhere and… calm down?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea. I think you both need to," said Lily, and walked off.

* * *

All the patients who met Dr Knight that morning probably went away thinking he was moody, bad-tempered and unfriendly. Cal knew they would have had a point. He wasn't usually any of those things, but he had a lot on his mind.

The first problem was that he had lied to Sophie (and upset her, which was even worse). The second problem was that Lily had caught them and probably had every intention of reporting them, which he felt he probably deserved, but he didn't want that to happen to Sophie. The third problem was they'd then had the argument, which had culminated in Sophie apparently breaking up with him, which would have been bad enough. But then (the fourth problem) it transpired that Connie had overheard, which was also his fault because he was the one who'd started shouting.

Cal had been doing his best to hide from Connie ever since, but he knew he couldn't keep it up indefinitely. She would eventually run him to ground. It actually wouldn't surprise him to learn that she knew exactly where he was and was enjoying toying with him, like a predator and her prey.

Cal hadn't seen Sophie either. He guessed she might be avoiding him and he couldn't really blame her for that. But he knew she couldn't hide from him forever any more than he could hide from Connie, and when he saw Sophie coming out of Resus with Ethan, he wasn't about to let the chance go begging.

Ethan was explaining something at great length, presumably relating to whichever procedure had just been performed, and Sophie was gazing up at him like he'd just saved someone's life.

Which he probably had.

Cal stepped deliberately into their path. "Sophie? Can we talk?"

"What kind of line is that?" said Sophie. "Do you think we're in a soap or something?"

Cal was confused. "It wasn't a line. Not everything I say to you is a line."

"I just thought that what you said to me was lacking in originality," said Sophie.

Cal sighed. "Well, I want to talk to you and I thought I had more chance of a positive answer if I asked your permission instead of just demanding that you came with me."

"That's true enough, I suppose," said Sophie. She gave him a small smile. "Okay. Let's talk."

Ethan hovered protectively. "Would you like me to stay?"

"No!" said Cal.

"I wasn't talking to you," said Ethan.

Sophie smiled at him and touched his arm. "That's sweet of you, Ethan. But I think we'll be okay."

"Okay," said Ethan. It was clear from his voice that he had grave reservations. "But if you upset her again, Caleb…"

"You'll what?" said Cal.

"Well, I might punch you again," said Ethan.

Sophie looked delighted. "_Again?_ Ethan, promise me you'll tell me that story later? Unless I can get it out of Cal, of course."

* * *

Lily found Ethan in the staff room at lunchtime, reading. "Ethan, I would like a word with you, please." Her words were more clipped than she'd intended, but Ethan didn't take offence.

"Yes, of course," he said. "Is in here all right?"

Lily nodded and sat beside him. She'd rehearsed in her head what she would say to Ethan, but her mind had gone blank now and that frightened her because her mind was almost never blank.

She'd tried to report Cal and Sophie to both Connie and Zoe, but Connie had interrupted her after the first sentence, saying she was busy, and Zoe had always seemed to be either saving a life or distracted by Max. By now, Lily was almost desperate to talk to someone and as Ethan knew Cal and Sophie better than anyone, he'd seemed like the best bet.

"How can I help you?" said Ethan.

His voice was businesslike, as though he'd assumed Lily had come to speak to him on work matters, but not unfriendly. Lily felt herself relax slightly. Perhaps it would be okay. This was Ethan, after all. Not his brother. "I would like to speak to you about Sophie."

Visibly, Ethan's guard went up. "What about her?"

"Just… how she's getting on," said Lily. "If she's getting on better. That sort of thing."

"She's getting on very well," said Ethan. "As I said before, she's very competent." His eyes were questioning as they searched her face, but he said no more.

"I noticed she wasn't wearing her proper shoes," said Lily disapprovingly. She'd have liked to report Sophie for that too, but she wasn't completely sure Connie or Zoe would appreciate her point.

Ethan's smile was affectionate. "She told me she couldn't be seen dead in the proper shoes for another minute. Apparently, our shoes don't offer adequate foot protection, though I somehow doubt that's the sole problem."

Lily registered the pun but did not find it amusing. "Do you think she… has a proper respect for the hospital environment?"

Ethan looked startled. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't she?"

Lily hesitated. It wasn't that she minded telling Ethan what his brother had been up to. But she hadn't liked it when Ethan and Cal had discussed her private life and she was wondering if she ought to show the same consideration for Sophie.

"If this is about earlier," said Ethan, "Sophie was upset. I was comforting her. That was all."

"She didn't behave as though she was upset," said Lily.

Ethan looked awkward. "She probably didn't want you to know. So I probably shouldn't have told you." He lifted his head and spoke not quite defiantly, but about as close to it as Ethan Hardy usually got. "But I don't want you to think badly of her, Lily. She's a good student and she's going to be a good doctor."

"I don't see how you can possibly know that," said Lily.

"I've seen her with the patients," said Ethan. "I know she had a bad start, but she's more relaxed now."

Lily sighed. "I suppose I should have expected you to defend her. But do you know what I caught her and your brother doing in a cubicle this morning?"

Ethan's eyes widened behind his glasses and he went a bit red. He squirmed visibly. "I'm not sure I want to know really, Lily."

"No, Ethan! I don't mean _that_!" said Lily impatiently. "Though perhaps they would have done if I hadn't interrupted. Cal was on the bed. Sophie was sitting on his lap. They were kissing."

* * *

Cal gave Sophie his best puppy dog eyes. "I'm really sorry. I'll never do anything like it ever again!"

"Anything like what?" said Sophie coolly.

"Getting you into a cubicle under false pretences," said Cal. "And then shouting at you. I would never usually shout at a woman and I don't want to start now."

Sophie nodded thoughtfully. "But if I were to have a sex change, you would find it acceptable to shout at me."

"No, I didn't mean that!" said Cal. "Stop twisting everything I say."

Sophie just looked at him and Cal realised that although he hadn't shouted, he had raised his voice a little bit.

He felt guilty but also slightly aroused. He couldn't help thinking Sophie would be a great clinical lead someday. She had the attitude and the shoes if nothing else.

"You're right. I shouldn't shout at anyone," said Cal. "And I'm really sorry I shouted at you." He reached for her hand. "So, do you forgive me?"

Sophie sighed and dropped the attitude. "I suppose so. But Cal, we've caused so much trouble and I don't know what we're going to do."

"No, _I've_ caused so much trouble," Cal corrected her with a charming smile. "You didn't do anything. I lied, made unwelcome advances and then behaved aggressively towards you. None of that is your fault. It's all mine." He smiled. "And I'd really like to make it up to you by cooking you dinner."

"If I live that long," said Sophie.

"Why wouldn't you?" said Cal. "What's wrong, baby?" He put his arms around her. He felt her stiffen slightly, but then she relaxed and hugged him back as though she never wanted to let go, which Cal found perfectly reasonable.

"The thing is," said Sophie, "you're not the only person who's been telling lies."


	18. Chapter 18

**ETWentHome**, until I read your review, Cal was just going to accept the lie without comment - but you changed my mind and I've written an extra scene. Thank you for the review and the idea!

**Tanith Panic**, I think the ED would be a far less interesting place without rascals in it! Thank you for your review and I'm really happy you're enjoying it.

I know this is a ridiculously long week with far too many things happening - if I'd written it in advance, I'd have changed Sophie's placement to two weeks, but it's too late now.

* * *

Cal turned away from Sophie and groaned. "You stupid, _stupid_, idiotic, imbecilic, moronic…" He turned to face Sophie. "I'm going to get sacked for this and you'll be sent straight back to university!"

"Cal…"

"Of all the stupid things to say…"

Sophie gave a sob. "I'm sorry, Cal. I'm so sorry."

Cal was confused. "What are you sorry for?"

"For being a stupid, stupid, idiotic, imbecilic, moronic..."

Cal looked at her in dismay. "Sophie, I didn't mean you!" He put his arms around her. "Come here, baby. Don't cry. We'll fix this. I don't know how, but I've got out of tricky situations before."

"Were you talking about yourself, then?" asked Sophie.

"No, I meant Ethan!" said Cal. "What did he want to tell a stupid lie like that for? And to Connie Beauchamp too! Even I can't get away with lying to her for long so what chance did Ethan have? I bet he did it on purpose to get back at me for forgetting to do the shopping. Or for using his toothpaste again. Or for throwing his shirt at the toaster and setting fire to it."

Sophie gave him a reproving look. "I'm sure it wasn't like that. I think he just wanted to protect you. Mrs Beauchamp heard us arguing and he knew you'd be in trouble, so he tried to get you out of trouble by pretending it was someone else."

Cal's anger evaporated. He knew Sophie was right. As usual, Ethan was there for him, trying to look after him. It had gone wrong on this occasion, but if it hadn't been for Ethan, he'd probably have been sacked long ago and he might never have met Sophie.

"His lie was quite harmless anyway," said Sophie. "It was me who told the really big lie."

"Only because you didn't want to get me or Ethan into trouble," said Cal. He bent to kiss her. "And I really appreciate that. It went a bit wrong, but that's what happens sometimes when you have to think on your feet. Don't worry. We'll work something out."

* * *

Ethan stopped cringing and looked up at Lily. There was a strange light in his eye. "Sophie was sitting on his lap?" His voice had changed.

"That is correct," said Lily. "In a cubicle. A cubicle _which I had just entered with a patient_."

Ethan didn't look nearly as shocked as she was expecting. "Is it possible," he said, "that Sophie wasn't a completely willing participant in this… escapade?" He waved his hand vaguely to illustrate what he meant.

"She looked perfectly willing to me," said Lily.

Ethan quailed a little, but he didn't give up. "I'll tell you what happened, Lily. Cal told Sophie he was feeling unwell. She took him into a cubicle and he lay down on the bed. He asked Sophie to take his pulse. When she did, he lifted her onto his lap and kissed her. Sophie was too shocked to fight him off immediately – and then you arrived."

Lily processed this in silence. She'd assumed Ethan knew nothing about the event at all – but Ethan sounded so _sure_. "Did Sophie say that?"

"Sophie did say that: yes."

Lily was momentarily silenced. "I'm glad I spoke to you about it," she said at last. "I was going to report both of them. But now I will only report Cal."

"There's no need," said Ethan. "Sophie's already spoken to Mrs Beauchamp about it. She's dealing with the matter now."

"Oh… I see," said Lily. The wind had been taken out of her sails and she floundered for a moment. "Mrs Beauchamp hasn't said anything to me about it."

"If she thinks she needs to, I'm sure she will," said Ethan. "And if she doesn't think she needs to, she might not be very pleased if you put yourself forward."

Lily was forced to admit he was right.

* * *

Cal looked nervously at Sophie. "Are you ready?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready," said Sophie. "What about you? Are you sure you want to do this?"

Cal drew himself up to his full height. "Of course I'm sure." He would have preferred the words to come out with a little more conviction, but maybe Sophie wouldn't notice.

"Don't worry," said Sophie. "I'll hold your hand if you're really scared."

Cal was usually happy to take any opportunity to hold hands, but the implication that he was scared put him off a bit.

He was still inwardly debating the point when the door opened.

"So it's you two," said Connie. "I was wondering who it was, whispering outside my door like scared little weasels."

Sophie was trembling, but her voice was steady. "You said I should come and speak to you if I remembered anything else about the argument."

"And Dr Knight has come to keep you company, I see. How romantic," said Connie. "Because I can see no other reason why he might be here." She looked straight at Cal. "Can you?"

"That's part of the reason." Cal's voice wavered with nerves. This was not good.

"Would you care to share the other part?" said Connie politely.

Sophie lifted her head. "The people you heard quarrelling weren't patients, Mrs Beauchamp. It was me and Cal. It wasn't appropriate for the workplace and I'm very sorry."

"I see." If Connie felt any surprise, she betrayed none. "I'm glad you've decided to be honest. Now perhaps you can give me a good reason why I shouldn't phone your university and tell them we can't accommodate you in the hospital any longer. Naturally, I will tell her why. Arguing with doctors; lying; making false allegations against patients… perhaps the list goes on, though for your sake, I hope not."

"It wasn't Sophie's fault," said Cal quickly. "I…" He stopped. Judging from the way Connie was looking at him, he was amazed he was still alive. "I told her I felt ill and asked her to take me into an empty cubicle. Then I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her. Sophie told me my behaviour was unacceptable and unprofessional, which it was, and I lost my temper."

Connie's eyes lit with interest and she turned to Sophie. "So that's why your allegations had a ring of truth. I was convinced it was you two because I recognised your voices, but my instinct told me that you was telling the truth about the assault. So I did wonder if I'd made a mistake."

"You never make mistakes, Mrs Beauchamp," said Cal ingratiatingly.

"Then I'm sure you'll realise that I'm not making a mistake when I terminate Sophie's placement," said Connie. "I don't care that you're a student, Sophie. You're an adult and you should know what is and isn't acceptable in the workplace. You've already caused considerable disruption with your inability to work with Dr Chao, and just in case you're wondering, I know all about the incident with taking bloods. And if you had any idea how difficult, how damaging, how devastating it is to be the victim of false allegations…" Connie seemed to realise she was almost showing emotion and took a moment to calm down. "We've given you enough chances and the time has come for you to leave."

* * *

"Where is she now?" said Lily. "With Cal?"

Ethan nodded. He had no idea where they were or what they were doing, but he could make a good guess at the latter. He just hoped they weren't in a cubicle this time.

Lily's lips formed an o of surprise. She leaned forward. "Ethan, you like Sophie, don't you?"

"Of course I like her," said Ethan, pretending to misunderstand, but Lily shook her head, an annoyed look on her face.

"You know I didn't mean that. You like her as a girlfriend."

"She's Cal's girlfriend," said Ethan uncomfortably. "And I would never presume…"

"I doubt you'd presume even if she was single," said Lily scathingly.

Ethan gave a short sigh and shook his head. "Probably not."

"_Definitely_ not," said Lily.

Ethan didn't argue.

"But as you say, she's with Cal, so there's no point in discussing it," said Lily. "And she will be gone after tomorrow in any case."

"She might not be gone after tomorrow," said Ethan. "She might carry on seeing Cal."

Lily gave him an impatient look. "I don't think that's very likely. We know what your brother's like and her university could be miles away."

Ethan couldn't restrain a gasp. "You… don't know where her university is?"

Lily shrugged. "It isn't relevant. She is a medical student in our hospital. That's all I need to know."

* * *

Cal caught Sophie's arm as she stumbled towards the door, her eyes overflowing with tears. "You can't let her go, Mrs Beauchamp. None of this was her fault." He put his arm around Sophie. "Come here, baby. I'll try to fix this, okay? Mrs Beauchamp, I know you say you know everything that goes on in this hospital, but do you really? Did you hear about the patient who came in with appendicitis last night? Sophie diagnosed him. She knew what to say, what to do and what to ask. She was great with him. She calmed him down and comforted him. She even let him be sick on her dress. And it's not just that. She's helped so many people in this hospital. Talk to Ethan. He's been working with her; he'll tell you."

Connie appeared unmoved. "The last time I spoke to Dr Hardy, he told me that the two people we could hear arguing _weren't_ his brother and the student he was working with. I'm hardly convinced I can trust his testament to anything."

"Ethan wanted to protect Sophie," said Cal. "He knew she'd get into trouble and he knew it wouldn't be her fault. Sophie lied because she wanted to protect me and Ethan. They did it because they've built up good working relationships which they want to preserve. I know Sophie went a bit too far with her lies, but she panicked. I believe she's going to be a very good doctor, but she's going to make mistakes along the way because everyone does. She said something she shouldn't have said, but she realised that and that's why we're here now. Because Sophie said it was the right thing to do. The only thing to do. You can do what you like to me. Suspend me; sack me. I should have known better. But please let Sophie stay."

Connie raised her eyebrows. "You don't seriously imagine I _might_ allow you to stay, Dr Knight?"

Cal looked at his feet. "No. No, I don't."

"Please Mrs Beauchamp," said Sophie in a small voice as she looked up at Connie, "don't sack Cal."

"Are you still here?" said Connie.

Sophie looked terrified, but she stood her ground. "I don't think Cal deserves to be sacked. He shouldn't have lured me into the cubicle, but he didn't hurt anyone. Of course he shouldn't shout, but doctors are human. He was probably upset about being caught and upset by my reaction. I'm sure there are other doctors here who have felt upset and ended up shouting at someone. And that's really all he did. He hasn't lied, except to me, and it was only a small lie. He hasn't accused anyone of anything. He hasn't done anything nearly as bad as what I've done." Sophie's eyes were imploring. "Please don't sack him, Mrs Beauchamp. I know he says I dealt with the appendicitis situation well, but I was only able to do it because he was there. He could have pushed me aside and done everything himself, but he assessed the situation and knew he could trust me. And that's part of what makes him a good doctor."

"Oh, just get out, both of you!" said Connie with a sharp motion towards the door.

Cal put his arm around Sophie and guided her from the room.

"And if I _ever_ have reason to speak to the two of you again," Connie called after them, "I really will terminate your contracts."


	19. Chapter 19

**ETWentHome**, thank you so much. I'm so happy you liked it and I'm glad you liked the bit about the toaster! I couldn't let Connie throw them out, but I thought she'd probably enjoy scaring them a bit.

**Tanith Panic**, I'm really happy you're enjoying it and I'm glad I've captured Lily's character. She is difficult to write as it's difficult to be sure what the real Lily's like. Thank you so much for your lovely review.

* * *

Lily didn't usually get involved in her colleagues' personal lives. It wasn't interesting to her; it wasn't relevant; it wasn't her business. It shouldn't matter to her if Ethan spent the rest of the week (which was, after all, less than two days) sighing over Cal's latest girlfriend. She knew Ethan was professional enough not to let it affect his work, and Lily had no interest in what he did in his breaks.

Or not usually.

Now, she was very much aware of the fact Ethan looked genuinely sad and she couldn't help feeling it was partly her fault. Lily didn't want to indulge her colleagues, but she also didn't want to upset them. She'd already upset Sophie, and although the jury was still out on whether Sophie was deserving of any sympathy, there was certainly no reason to upset Ethan.

Lily looked at Ethan's bent head. He hadn't said anything for some minutes and seemed to have forgotten she was there. "Ethan," began Lily.

Ethan looked up and hopeless brown eyes met hers.

"Ethan, you mustn't let her affect you like this," said Lily. "She's not worth it. Perhaps she's more intelligent than I thought; perhaps she is focused and perhaps the situation with Cal was entirely his fault. But there's nothing special about her. You need to forget her. Get on with your life." She cringed slightly, aware she was speaking in clichés, but as long as it got the message across.

"How am I supposed to forget her?" said Ethan. "I work with her and I live with her boyfriend."

"You won't work with her after tomorrow," said Lily dismissively. "I doubt Cal will be her boyfriend after tomorrow either."

Ethan gave her a look of misery. "Do you really think that makes it better? Knowing he's going to hurt her?"

"That is not your concern," said Lily. "You have no control over Cal's actions or Sophie's feelings. All you can do is control your own actions and feelings."

"How?" said Ethan.

"Do something that will take your mind off Sophie," said Lily. "Spend some time with a friend. Talk about something else."

Ethan gave a small, embarrassed smile. "I'm really not sure I have any friends."

"Ethan, that is not true," Lily scolded him. "I am your friend."

"But I don't suppose you'd like to spend some time with me, would you?" said Ethan.

As it happened, Lily had no particular yearning for Ethan's company, but she knew Ethan would never do anything if left to himself. "As it happens, yes. I would. So we will go out somewhere tonight after work. We can go to a restaurant and have dinner."

Ethan looked startled. "You mean like a date?"

Lily raised her eyes to the ceiling. "No, of course I don't mean a date. I mean as two friends, enjoying the evening together. You have obviously been living with your brother for too long if you think a man and woman can't spend the evening together without it being a date."

Ethan lowered his eyes, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Lily."

Lily waved his apology aside. "So are we doing this or not?" she said forcefully. She didn't want to bully him, but after going to so much trouble, she had no intention of letting him say no.

"All right," said Ethan. He looked at her; gave a small smile. "Thank you, Lily. Dinner and a film sounds very nice. Um… I'll pay, of course."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Lily. "I am perfectly able to pay for myself." She got to her feet, paused, and made a generous concession. "But I'll let you choose and book the restaurant."

* * *

"Okay?" asked Cal when Sophie emerged from the loos following a make-up repair job. "You look beautiful." He hugged her. "How about we go and get some air?"

"I need to find Ethan," said Sophie. "I should have finished my break five minutes ago." She seemed subdued, but not as upset as she had been.

"If you're sure you're okay," said Cal.

Sophie nodded. "I'm fine."

When they parted, Cal thought about kissing her but changed his mind when he saw Zoe approaching. He knew Zoe wouldn't mind as much as Connie would, but Cal knew he'd been on pretty thin ice and he didn't want to take any chances.

Besides, he wasn't completely sure if he and Sophie were still together.

"See you later, Sophie," he said and squeezed her arm. "Don't worry, okay? You'll be fine."

He smiled at Zoe as he passed her, but he stopped and spun round at the sound of a scream.

"Sophie, are you okay?" asked Zoe. She had her arm around Sophie, who was looking a bit shocked as she clutched at Zoe's arm.

"I think I'm okay," said Sophie. "I just slipped."

Cal hastened to her side. "Did you turn your ankle?" He wanted to put his arm around her, but he regretfully decided Zoe was doing a good enough job in that department.

At that moment, Lily came around the corner. At the sight of Sophie and Zoe, she flung her hands in the air, turned on her heel and walked off.

"_Lily?_" said Zoe in amazement, but Lily either didn't hear or didn't want to. "What's got into her?"

"I think she's fed up with seeing me hugging doctors," said Sophie. "She's already caught me hugging Cal and Ethan and I told her I almost got a hug from Mrs Beauchamp too."

Zoe raised her eyebrows. She, of course, knew that Connie wasn't in the habit of handing out hugs. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that. We all need a hug sometimes in here. Even Cal, though I'm sure he'd tell you otherwise."

"No, I've needed Sophie to hug me lots of times," said Cal innocently.

Zoe gave him a look that made it clear she wasn't fooled and gave Sophie's shoulders an extra squeeze. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," said Sophie. She looked a bit embarrassed now. "The floor's a bit slippery, that's all."

"Unless it's your shoes," said Cal teasingly.

Zoe shook her head in a firm display of female solidarity. "No, Caleb, I'm _sure_ it's not the shoes. I saw Max cleaning up here a while ago and he obviously didn't do his job properly."

"Oh dear," said Cal. "You'd better have a word with him. A quiet, private word."

"He obviously needs his bottom spanked," said Sophie archly.

"It sounds like he's not the only one!" said Zoe. "Now get back to work, both of you!" But she softened her words with a smile. "I'm glad you're still with us, Sophie. You're obviously feeling a lot more comfortable here and that's really good to see."

* * *

Ethan could tell Sophie was tired. He hoped Cal didn't have anything too strenuous planned for that evening – for he didn't doubt they would be spending it together.

Then he sighed to himself because he knew that 'strenuous' would be exactly what Cal had in mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked Sophie as they left Resus. It was her first cardiac arrest, and although defibrillation had been successful, he knew it would have been an upsetting experience.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Sophie. "It was difficult, but that's something you have to do in the ED and I'm glad I experienced it."

She smiled at him, but Ethan saw the strain behind it. "Maybe you should go and have an extra break."

Sophie shook her head. "Not unless you're having one."

Ethan hesitated. He knew they hadn't seen nearly enough patients today. "Okay. We'll have a quick one."

Sophie looked delighted. "I can't wait to tell Cal I had a quick one with his brother. He'll probably want to kill you."

Ethan was red with embarrassment. "Considering what I've just said to you, I think I'd be quite happy to be dead. I'm so sorry, Sophie."

"I wouldn't be happy, though," said Sophie. She gave him a quick, sideways glance. "I'd be dead sad."

"Over my dead body."

Sophie laughed so much, she had to hold onto Ethan for support. "You'll be the death of me, Ethan Hardy."

They walked towards the staff room. Through the open door, Ethan saw that Lily was in conversation with Dylan. At Dylan's side was the blonde, curvaceous Amber from Sophie's medical school. Ethan would have thought she was far more Cal's type than Sophie, but he barely seemed to have noticed her, despite the fact she usually seemed to be doing her best to be noticed. She was leaning against a chair, one hand on her hip, her overlarge red mouth in a careful pout. She didn't look like anyone's idea of a typical doctor, but Sophie had told Ethan that Amber was extremely bright.

Robyn was there too, standing by the kettle. She smiled at Sophie and Ethan. "Hey, you two. Are you okay, Sophie? You look a bit pale. Come and have some tea."

Amber threw Sophie a condescending glance. "Hey, Soppy Sophie."

"Don't call her that," said Ethan.

"Everyone calls her that," said Amber. "She cries over case studies."

Ethan saw the sneer on her face and his blood boiled. Though not literally. "Empathy is a very important quality in a doctor," he said, taking care to keep his voice polite.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Yeah, obviously, but she's got to learn to control it."

"Yes, of course," said Ethan. "But it's easier to learn to control your emotions than it is to develop emotion where they don't previously exist."

Amber giggled. It was one of her many annoying qualities, which perhaps explained Cal's lack of interest. "Maybe you've got something about you after all, Sophie, if you've got both registrars fighting over you."

Sophie said nothing. Ethan turned to her in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," muttered Sophie, and started to walk towards a chair, but then her knees seemed to buckle and she pitched forwards.

Dylan caught her.

"I don't believe this!" said Lily, as Ethan raced to Sophie's side.

Dylan was holding onto Sophie as though she was covered in slug slime. "Dr Hardy. Yours, I believe." He thrust Sophie at Ethan, who fumbled and nearly dropped her. Once his hold was secure, he gently lowered her onto the floor, onto her back. Her eyes were closed.

Robyn knelt beside them. "Don't look so worried, Ethan. She's just fainted."

Ethan checked her breathing and pulse. Her pulse was a little slow, unlike his.

"Of course she hasn't fainted," said Lily. "Any doctor could see that wasn't a genuine fall."

"No way was she faking it," drawled Amber. "Soppy Sophie couldn't fake an orgasm, though let's be fair, she wouldn't need to fake it with Cal." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I don't know what your brother sees in her, Ethan."

Dylan glared at her. "You – keep quiet and come with me." He turned to Ethan and Robyn. "You two – treat her, call her a taxi and get on with your work." Lily was next. "And you – stop bothering me with questions so basic, even Amber here would know the answer."

Amber gave a knowing giggle. "Check the ferritin levels, Lily. That's what I'd do."

"My name is Dr Chao!"

Ethan heard footsteps and guessed Dylan and Amber had left the room. Probably Lily as well. Ethan closed his eyes for a moment and reminded himself that he was a doctor. He dealt with much more serious problems than this every day. It was silly to be upset just because the girl he cared about had fainted.


	20. Chapter 20

**ETWentHome**, I'm happy I've made Ethan cute - because that's exactly what he is! Haha I think a lot of people are wondering that about Sophie! Thank you for the review.

**Tanith Panic**, I was really nervous about writing Dylan, but I wanted to bring Amber into the story and he was the only doctor available! No, Ethan isn't having a very good time! He never does in my stories. Thank you for the review.

* * *

Lily couldn't stand it a moment longer. Sophie was still lying there with her eyes closed while Robyn made a big fuss, giving Ethan advice he obviously didn't need, when it was perfectly obvious to Lily that Sophie was faking the whole thing.

Lily stepped forward and spoke sternly. "Sophie is fine. I saw her hugging Cal and Ethan this morning. She informed me she had also hugged Mrs Beauchamp and I later found her hugging Dr Hanna. Dr Keogh was clearly next on her list. It is all a stupid game to annoy me because I gave her a few home truths about her career."

"I'm not sure-" began Ethan, but at that moment, Sophie opened her eyes.

"Ethan?" she said softly.

"Yes, it's me," said Ethan. He took her hand in both of his. "Are you all right?"

"What happened?" said Sophie.

"You know exactly what happened!" snapped Lily.

"Neurally mediated syncope?" said Sophie.

"Yes, that's right," said Ethan. There was a tender look in his eyes that irritated Lily even more. "But you didn't hit your head. Dr Keogh caught you. How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," said Sophie, gazing up at Ethan. "A bit weird. Dizzy."

Robyn knelt down and held out a cup of water. "It's okay, Sophie. You're going to be okay. I'm sure you'll feel fine in a minute. You probably just got a bit dehydrated."

"Well… if I've got to faint, I chose the right place," said Sophie, her voice little more than a whisper.

Ethan helped her to sit up and kept his arm around her as she took the cup of water. Lily frowned as she realised Sophie did look a bit dazed. Perhaps she really had fainted.

But it still seemed like a bit too much of a coincidence to Lily, and she doubted that Sophie would remember the term 'neurally mediated syncope' if she'd been unconscious. Lily was surprised she'd remembered at all. "So you've hugged most of the doctors, Sophie. Whatever next?"

"The nurses?" suggested Sophie vaguely.

"Sophie," said Ethan, "it might be better if you don't try to speak."

Robyn put her arms around Sophie. "Well, here's a hug from me and I'm sure Lofty will hug you later."

"But I will not," said Lily firmly.

Sophie seemed to view this as a challenge. "We'll see about-"

"We should probably put her on the sofa," Ethan broke in quickly. "It's not very comfortable on the floor."

Robyn patted Sophie's shoulder. "Shall I'll get you a wheelchair, Sophie? Or do you want to carry her, Ethan?"

This made Ethan blush, though he managed to say he was very happy to do that. He kept one arm around Sophie and inserted the other one underneath her knees. She put her arm around him and rested her head against his shoulder. Ethan was even redder by then. "Right. Um. Let's see if I can pick you up. I mean, I'm so sorry. I'm sure I can manage to pick you up. I'm not trying to imply that you're heavy. I'm sure you're not."

"Ethan, I think you're quite right not to take this lightly," said Sophie.

Ethan smiled and seemed to relax a bit. He lifted her very gently and carefully.

"You see? You're brilliant at picking up girls," said Sophie. "Remind me to mention that to Cal."

Lily turned and left the room.

* * *

Cal still wasn't sure if his dinner plans with Sophie were back on or not, but he was reasonably confident they would be back on after a little persuasion. A present or two wouldn't go astray either and it would be money well-spent.

It would also be money he didn't have, but he decided to worry about that later. Everyone knew your girlfriend's happiness was more important than your bank balance.

He spent part of the afternoon in Resus with Zoe, which suited Cal very well because Zoe's student, Ashley, was also there. Of course, there was no opportunity for chat while they were busy saving lives, but as soon as it was over, he asked Ashley if he could have a word.

"I'm going for a smoke with Zoe," said Ashley.

Cal decided it would do no harm to have a woman's point of view too. "I think I'll join you."

Zoe looked startled. "Ethan isn't driving you to cigarettes, is he?"

"No, not quite. I just wanted a chat," said Cal.

They went outside and Zoe and Ashley lit up. "What's up, Cal?" asked Zoe. Her words were casual, perhaps for Ashley's sake, but Cal could see the concern in her eyes.

"Me and Sophie had a bit of an argument today and I'd like to make it up to her," said Cal. "Ashley, mate, what's her favourite food?"

"Haven't got the faintest idea, mate," said Ashley with a shrug. "Me and Sophie, we're not exactly friends. She's… well, she's all right, but she's a bit geeky for my crowd."

Cal was so startled, he accidentally breathed in a lungful of Ashley's cigarette emissions. When he'd finished choking, he asked: "Sophie isn't a geek. She's hot!"

"It's possible to be hot and a geek," said Zoe. "Look at your brother."

"Maybe you should look at my brother too!" said Cal when he'd recovered his powers of speech. "Because from where I'm standing, he's not hot!"

Ashley gave Zoe an amused look. "Are you into younger men then, Zoe?"

Zoe gave him a stern look. "If you don't stop asking me such personal questions, perhaps we'll have to rethink this 'Zoe' thing."

Ashley grinned. "Okay. Are you into younger men then, _Dr Hanna_?"

Zoe looked like she was thinking about being annoyed, but then she just laughed. "I'm into _one_ younger man. My boyfriend. That's all you need to know."

"She's sleeping with one of the porters," said Cal in a loud whisper, and dodged a clip round the ear from Zoe. "But we're not talking about Zoe. Tell me about Sophie. Do you know any foods she likes?"

Ashley thought. "I offered her a crisp yesterday and she didn't say no. Smokey bacon, I think it was. So maybe she likes bacon. And chips."

Cal gave an impatient sigh and turned to Zoe. "What do you think?"

"I would say make something you've cooked before that you know you can cook well," said Zoe. "Then you'll be able to concentrate on impressing her without burning Ethan's kitchen down." She looked at Cal in surprise. "But what are you asking us for advice for? I thought you knew everything there was to know about girls."

"Sophie's a bit different from most girls," said Cal defensively.

"Can't argue there, mate," said Ashley.

Zoe looked at Cal for a moment, a smile playing about her mouth. "Yes. I think she must be."

* * *

Ethan took the empty teacup from Sophie and put it on the floor. "Would you like me to help you lie down?"

Sophie smiled and shook her head. "I'd much rather get back to work, Ethan."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Ethan. She had more colour in her cheeks now, but that didn't change the fact she'd fainted. Or the way he'd felt when she had. "I really think you should go back to your hotel."

Sophie looked even less enthusiastic than she had the first time he suggested it. "I don't want to go back to my hotel, Ethan! I'm not supposed to take time off anyway. I'll lose my marks for the module if I do."

"I'm sure that doesn't apply if you're ill," said Ethan. "And it's only for a couple of hours. Assuming you're well enough to come back to work tomorrow, there's no need to tell your university anything."

Sophie looked shocked but delighted. "Ethan Hardy, I can't believe you're suggesting such a thing."

Ethan smiled as he discovered that bending the rules just slightly could actually be fun. Perhaps he shouldn't be too strict with Cal the next time he tried it. "I'm a doctor. I would be negligent in my duty if I told you to go back to work."

"But if I insist enough…"

"It would certainly be very unwise of me to expose you to the stress of an argument."

Sophie laughed. "In those circumstances, it seems only sensible to do everything I say."

For a moment, they just looked each other, smiling. "Why not give it twenty more minutes?" said Ethan, tearing his gaze away. "Then we'll see."

"I suppose I can wait twenty minutes," said Sophie. Her smile dimmed. "But you need to get back to work. Your patient turnover must be practically in the minuses."

"I _am_ working," said Ethan. "You're my patient and it's my job to look after you. I'm also your mentor and it's my job to monitor you."

"So in fact you're just as virtuous as ever," said Sophie.

Ethan smiled. "Perhaps not completely." He had to admit that his thoughts weren't virtuous at all.

"Oh, really?" said Sophie, her eyes wide. "What's _that_ supposed to mean, Dr Hardy?"

"Oh, um…" Ethan had to think about that. "I just mean that perhaps not everyone would follow my logic in deciding to stay with you. But it makes perfect sense to me."

They smiled at each other some more, and Ethan started to realise the staff room was a bit warm.

Sophie's face lit up suddenly. "Ethan, did you say Dr Keogh caught me when I fainted?"

"He did," said Ethan. "He passed you on to me as quickly as he could, but he did have his arms around you. Much to Lily's fury. She really doesn't seem to like you hugging doctors."

"Maybe she fancies me," said Sophie.

Ethan laughed. "Maybe she does."

"And she's the ideal stalker because she doesn't come near me if she can avoid it."

Ethan shook his head, smiling. "So Lily's stalking you now. Interesting. It sounds like something Cal would come up with."

"But if Cal said it, he'd probably believe it," said Sophie. "I'm just joking. Cal is really sweet, but he gets some strange ideas in his head sometimes."

Ethan smiled. "He's always telling me to live in the real world, but sometimes I'm not completely sure he lives there either."

"I don't think he can do, considering you live together," said Sophie. "What's he like to live with?"

"For future reference or out of idle curiosity?"

"Definitely idle curiosity," said Sophie. "I mean, I do like Cal. I do. But it's much too soon to think beyond tomorrow."

Ethan was relieved to hear that. For Sophie's sake, of course. "He's extremely infuriating to live with. He's messy, lazy, forgetful and inconsiderate. But I'm sure he'd say exactly the same about me. The 'extremely infuriating' part anyway. But I think he finds living with me easier than living without me. And in a way, perhaps it's mutual. If I'm going to spend my life clearing up his messes, it's much easier if we're in the same flat." He remembered he was speaking to Cal's girlfriend. "But he is a very good doctor and he can be very caring. Even towards me when he thinks I'm not listening."

"He is lovely," said Sophie.

Ethan sighed. "You're not the first person to say that."

"But so are you," said Sophie. "Just so you know." She quickly changed the subject. "How much longer till we can go back to work?"

"About fifteen and three quarter minutes. My company must be riveting."

"Of course it is, Ethan," said Sophie. She touched his hand. "I couldn't be more riveted. But working in your ED is an amazing experience and I don't want to miss out on learning anything."

Ethan considered. "I could always read to you. From a medical book. Not the one Lily gave you: something more advanced. I'm sure you know all the basic stuff already, but perhaps we can find something you don't know."

"Have you ever performed a cricothyroidotomy?" asked Sophie.

Ethan shook his head. "I'm not even sure I can say it! It's a rare procedure and I imagine I'd only be allowed to do it under supervision, if at all. But I could tell you about them if you like."


	21. Chapter 21

**ETWentHome**, thank you so much! And it's supposed to be a light-hearted fic so to be honest, I'm grateful for any laughter I can get! So feel free to laugh at Lily all you want to. She probably wouldn't like it, but I do.

**Tanith Panic**, I do a lot of research for the medical bits by checking different sites and cross-referencing, but even then I can't be sure of getting it right so I'm relieved it sounds convincing. Thank you very much for your review.

Thank you to anyone else who's still reading as well.

* * *

Cal was laughing and joking with Ashley when Lofty approached. He caught Cal's eye, but then stopped a short way away from them and immediately started occupying himself with straightening a pile of files that didn't really need straightening. Seeing the nurse reminded Cal of something and he turned to Ashley. "Lofty says you run marathons in your spare time."

Ashley just smiled. "I've told Lofty all sorts of things."

"I'm surprised you can manage a marathon if you're a heavy smoker," said Cal.

Ashley laughed. "You see – that's why you're a doctor and Lofty's only a nurse. I told him I was a female impersonator too. He'll believe anything, that one."

"So if I tell Lofty that you're a lying, bullying moron, he'll believe that too." Cal stepped closer to him. "And if I find out you've said one more word to him, you might find out that you are a female impersonator after all. Even if I can't make you dress like a girl, I can probably make you scream like one."

Perhaps it was just as well for Ashley that Zoe returned at that moment. She said nothing: she just looked at Ashley and raised her eyebrows. Ashley gratefully made his escape.

"Just remember: Lofty's my mate," said Cal. He didn't dare say anything more in front of Zoe, but he hoped Ashley would get the message.

He wasn't surprised when, as soon as Ashley departed, Lofty abandoned the files and made straight for Cal.

Lofty seemed nervous, as though he wasn't sure if his presence would be welcome or not. Either that or he was worried about tripping over something.

"Hey, Lofty," said Cal. "You all right? Listen, don't pay any attention to anything Ashley says. He still thinks telling lies is clever."

"Lies?" said Lofty. "So you think Lily probably wasn't checking out my bum when I bent over to pick up those files I'd dropped at her feet?"

"It seems unlikely," admitted Cal. "You know how overprofessional Lily is. I think Robyn was looking though."

Lofty sighed. "I suppose Robyn is a lot more fun than Lily. But it wasn't _my_ love life I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to make sure you knew about Sophie."

"I know she's the hottest girl in the hospital if that's what you mean," said Cal. "Including that blonde glamour model we treated with a temperature of 107."

Lofty shook his head and an anxious frown appeared on his brow. "You haven't heard then. Sophie fainted."

"What?" exclaimed Cal. "What happened? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I've only been here thirty seconds," said Lofty.

Cal almost threw the files he was holding into Lofty's arms. Lofty dropped them, but Cal didn't care. "Where is she?"

"Staff room."

Cal rushed off without saying thank you and burst into the staff room. Sophie and Ethan were sitting side by side.

"Then you remove your thumb," Ethan was saying.

Cal stared at him. Remove her thumb from _where _exactly?

"This is to allow expiration for four seconds via the upper airway," continued Ethan.

Cal breathed a sigh of relief, but said nothing. He was too busy looking at Sophie. She looked great, but that didn't necessarily mean she was okay.

"I would have thought expiration was the last thing you wanted a patient doing," said Sophie.

Ethan smiled. "Not that kind of expiration. What I mean is… actually, you know exactly what I mean, don't you?"

Cal came out of his trance and ran over to them. "Ethan, what are you doing? Sophie doesn't want to hear about medical stuff. She's just fainted." He beside Sophie and kissed her cheek. "Are you okay, beautiful? I only just heard. Lofty told me."

"I'm fine," said Sophie.

"I think Sophie's just very tired," said Ethan. "And she helped with her first with a cardiac arrest."

Cal rubbed Sophie's back. "Did you? Are you okay? How was it?"

"Shocking," said Sophie. She caught Ethan's eye and they both giggled.

"Arresting," said Ethan.

"Heartstopping," said Sophie.

Cal sighed. "Hilarious."

"No, it wasn't hilarious at all," said Sophie.

"The patient did survive," Ethan said quickly. "Or we wouldn't be joking about it, obviously."

Cal took Sophie's pulse. It was on the slow side for someone who was having their pulse taken by Cal, but not dangerously so. "And you're sure that's what made you faint?"

Sophie nodded. "I think so. But I'm fine now. A bit annoyed because Ethan doesn't want me to go back to work, but fine apart from that."

Cal felt her forehead. "You're not hot."

"Oh, you must be going off me," said Sophie.

Ethan seemed to find this amusing, but Cal didn't. "How was your blood pressure?" he said anxiously. "Did you run an ECG?"

Sophie shook her head. "There's no need, Cal."

Cal leaned close. "I just want to look after you, baby. It doesn't sound like anyone else has."

Ethan looked outraged, but said nothing.

"Ethan's looked after me brilliantly," said Sophie, almost defensively.

"It doesn't sound that way to me," said Cal. He got out his torch and shone it into her eyes, making her flinch away. "Keep your head still, please."

"Cal, it's okay, I didn't hit my head," said Sophie.

"I just wanted to make sure." Cal gave Ethan an annoyed look. "I don't suppose he took any bloods either, did he?"

Ethan spoke without looking at Cal and Sophie. "It was just a little neural medial syncope, which Sophie was able to diagnose herself. She had a lie-down and felt better almost straight away. I did recommend that she went back to the hotel, but she didn't want to."

"What? You were going to send her back on her own?" said Cal. He took Sophie's hands. "Okay, you're coming with me to a cubicle-"

"Not _that_ again!" said Sophie.

"No, definitely not _that_ again," said Cal. "Not till I know you're okay. I'll run some tests and then I'll take you back to our flat and cook you dinner like I said before."

Sophie's hands went stiff in his. "I don't know, Cal."

"I won't tire you out or anything," said Cal. He almost managed not to sound regretful. "I'll look after you." He let go of one of her hands and stroked her cheek. "I just want to make sure you really are okay."

Sophie still didn't look very enthusiastic.

"You needn't worry that I'll be in the way," said Ethan with a resentful look in Cal's direction. "I'm going out for dinner with Lily."

Sophie jolted slightly with surprise and Cal gave Ethan a nod of respect. "Nice work. Maybe we can double date sometime. But have a word with her about Sophie, will you? I don't like the way Lily talks to her."

"I'll see if it comes up in discussion," said Ethan. He sounded a bit annoyed. He probably didn't like having his girlfriend criticised. Cal could understand that.

"No, there's no need, Ethan," said Sophie quickly. "It's fine. I hope you both have a really lovely time." She turned back to Cal. "And I'd love to spend the evening with you. Especially if you're paying. You do kind of owe me £500…"

"Oh that absolute…" Ethan looked like he was mentally calling Cal all sorts of things he felt he couldn't say in front of Sophie. "I'm very sorry, Sophie, but I'm afraid Cal… well, he hasn't got £500."

Sophie shrugged. "Neither have I. Well, I have, but not in this week's budget. But I wouldn't have taken his bet even if I did. Only idiots gamble and I told him so."

Ethan smiled a little bit at that, though he stopped when Cal glared at him.

"Exactly. You didn't take my bet so I don't owe you £500."

"But you're lucky you don't," said Sophie. "I could so easily have taken you up on it."

Cal looked sharply at Sophie as an idea came into his mind. He tried to dismiss it, but it wouldn't go away. "Sophie, you did really faint, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," said Sophie, startled. "You don't seriously think I'd… Robyn noticed I was pale and Ethan was worried too. I might have made the conscious decision to sit down near Dr Keogh rather than any of the other doctors, but my main priority was finding a chair before I keeled over. I might like helping other people to feel better, but that doesn't mean I _want_ doctors poking me about."

"Shame," said Cal. "I wouldn't mind poking you about."

"Yes, you've mentioned that before." Sophie turned anxiously to Ethan. "You don't think I faked it, did you?"

"Of course not," said Ethan. "If you were faking it, you'd never have been able to keep a straight face. And I know you'd never do something like that. Ever."

* * *

The last thing Ethan wanted was for Sophie to go back to work, but he eventually agreed on condition that she sat down. Their first patient was a nineteen-year-old childcare student named Joanne, who was convinced she had meningitis.

Ethan knew immediately that it wasn't meningitis, but it also wasn't anything he'd never seen anything like it before. "You have discoloration on your arms too. I'm afraid it's a bit outside my experience, but I'll ask one of the consultants to take a look at-"

Sophie interrupted him. "I don't think there's any need to bother the consultants, Ethan."

Ethan turned to her in surprise. "Do you know what it is…"

"I'm almost sure," said Sophie. "Joanne, you've had a spray tan done recently, haven't you? Perhaps at your college?"

"Yeah, I got one of the beauty students to do it," said Joanne. She looked at the rash and then at Sophie. "Do you mean that's what's caused this? I'm going to kill her!"

"I don't think there's any need for that," said Sophie. "Ethan will only resuscitate her so it will be a complete waste of your nice new acrylics. But I do suggest going somewhere better in future. As they're students, they're likely to use cheap products which aren't kind to the skin, and apply them unevenly, which explains the discoloration Dr Hardy was so worried about."

Ethan bowed to her superior knowledge. "So what would you recommend?"

"Tan Your Hide," said Sophie.

Ethan decided he absolutely must have misheard. "Excuse me?!"

"It's a tanning shop," said Sophie. "It's not cheap, but it's well worth it. Lasts longer, looks better and they've never given me a rash."

"Oh," said Ethan. "Well, you learn something new every day."

* * *

Cal checked the time. Only five minutes to go. He'd made a quick trip to the shops during his break (and come back late, which hadn't gone down too well with Connie, but accidents happened, especially in this profession) so he had everything he needed for Sophie's special dinner.

It would take Cal a while to cook the meal, but he'd planned for that as well. He would get Sophie to lie down on the sofa and give her some pillows and a blanket. The pillows would have to come from Ethan's bed as Cal's were too dirty and he had no idea where Ethan kept the spare pillow cases, but as Sophie needed to go home and have an early night, the pillows should be safely back in Ethan's room by the time he returned from his date.

"Lily!" said Cal as the junior doctor passed him. "I hear you're going out with my brother tonight."

"It's just dinner," said Lily.

"No breakfast then?" said Cal.

Lily glared at him and walked off.

"Just being friendly!" Cal called after her. "If you're going to be my sister-in-law one day, we need to be friends, don't we?"

A hand descended on his shoulder. "Dr Knight," said Connie. "Just the person I wanted to see."

Cal turned to smile at her. "Oh, really?"

"No," said Connie. "But you'll have to do. There's a gentleman in cubicles who wishes to see a male doctor. I understand you qualify."

"I did last time I checked," said Cal. "What's he done?"

Connie started walking and indicated that Cal should follow. "He's impaled his penis."

Cal winced in sympathy. "Poor guy. And I'm happy to help, of course. But I am actually due to finish my shift in three minutes and I was going to-"

He stopped short as Connie turned to face him. "Yes, Dr Knight?" she said icily. "What were you going to do that is more important than our patient's health?"

"Nothing that can't wait," said Cal.


	22. Chapter 22

**ETWentHome**, aw I'm really happy I made you laugh again! I don't think this chapter has as many funny moments, but I hope you'll still like it. You could be right about Sophie and Cal... he was kind of second choice after all! And who could not love Ethan? Thank you for the review!

**AVMabs**, I could be wrong, but I really can't imagine Ethan having a spray tan. I think he'd be much too embarrassed! So I thought that might be one of the very few things Sophie could diagnose and he couldn't. I went to hospital once with a pulse of 150 a few days after trying to give myself a spray tan. The paramedics, nurse, junior doctor and registrar (I was gradually upgraded) all noticed the rash and panicked a bit so I had to explain what it was. The paramedics, nurse and junior doctor thought it was hilarious, but I think the registrar was a bit annoyed. He'd come up with some really long diagnosis which I wish I could remember the name of and I had to tell him it was just a spray tan rash. Thank you for the review!

**Tanith Panic**, as I said in my answer to AVMabs, the spray tan was inspired by something that happened to me. Truth doesn't always work in fiction, but maybe it does in Casualty! The impaled penis has never happened to me, though it probably would have done if I actually had one. I quite often watch Casualty and think "I wish I'd thought of that!" so I'm really happy if I've come up with something they haven't. Thank you for the review!

**TimeLadyOdair**, thank you for the review. I'm really happy you like Ethan and Sophie together. The trouble is Sophie thinks Ethan doesn't like her in that way and I don't think it has occurred to Ethan for a second that Sophie could like him. But I'll try to make things right in the end!

* * *

"50-100 millilitres of fluid is usually sufficient, as it was in this case," said Ethan as he and Sophie made their way to the staff room after seeing their last patient of the day. "But if the procedure is being carried out to relieve breathlessness, then you'll need a lot more: from 1 to 1.5 litres."

He opened the door of the staff room. Sophie stopped in the doorway. "He's not here."

Ethan put his hand on Sophie's shoulder and urged her into the room. "I expect he's just got tied up somewhere. Though I'm sure not literally." He looked into the staff room to discover his own dinner companion was missing too.

A thought stirred in Ethan's mind. If they'd both been stood up, perhaps they could go somewhere together. He'd already booked the restaurant…

No. Of course he couldn't. If Lily was late, that could only mean she hadn't been able to finish work on time. If Cal was late, that was nothing more than standard procedure.

As Ethan thought this, Cal ran into the room and hugged Sophie. "I'm sorry, baby. Connie made me un-impale a penis."

"Whose was it?" said Sophie. "Yours?"

"Fortunately not," said Cal with feeling.

"If it was Cal's, I doubt Mrs Beauchamp would have considered it an emergency," said Ethan.

"Ethan, I do love it when you talk baloney," said Sophie.

Cal looked like he really wasn't sure how to take that.

If it was any comfort, neither did Ethan. He was blushing and he couldn't look at Sophie. "Cal, you won't forget Sophie fainted today, will you? You should probably take her home early so she doesn't get too tired."

"Ethan, I don't need advice on how to treat women from you," said Cal. "At least my date showed up!"

* * *

Cal held Sophie's hand tightly as they crossed the car park. She was telling him all about the pleural effusion aspiration Ethan had performed and it was starting to drive Cal crazy. He hadn't asked her out so he could hear how wonderful his brother was. "Are you looking forward to your special dinner?" he asked when she stopped to breathe.

"Yes, of course," said Sophie.

Cal checked his watch and mentally went through the cooking process. Then he spotted the fatal flaw. "How would you feel about putting this off for another day?"

Sophie looked hurt.

"No, that's not a brush-off!" Cal said quickly. "I still want to spend the evening with you. And tomorrow evening. And the day after that. But this meal I was going to cook for you, it's going to take me at least an hour to make it and I don't want to keep you waiting that long when you've already fainted once today."

"I don't mind waiting an hour," said Sophie.

"But I do," said Cal. He stopped and put his arms around her. "I want to look after you properly."

Sophie seemed to be squirming. "I don't need looking after. And if you've got the food already…"

"It'll keep for another day," said Cal. "I only bought during my break." He smiled. "I also got a DVD for us to watch afterwards." He'd got her a present too, but Cal decided to save that for tomorrow.

"Do you have anything else you could cook?" said Sophie.

Cal shrugged. "Depends if Ethan's done the shopping yet. He probably hasn't. He usually goes after work."

"Okay, how about a restaurant?" Sophie sounded slightly impatient, but she was probably just tired.

"That would take ages too and I haven't booked anywhere."

Sophie sighed. "A takeaway?"

Cal wavered. A takeaway didn't seem quite right for a second date. "I don't know…"

"Then we'd better – don't get _too_ excited, Cal – we'd better go back to my hotel and have room service," said Sophie. "They're always pretty quick. The food is very good and we can watch your DVD on my laptop."

Cal couldn't help feeling that ordering room service wasn't the best way of impressing his girlfriend, but he couldn't think of any alternative.

Besides, he thought, cheering up quite a lot, watching the DVD in Sophie's hotel room would probably mean both of them sitting on the bed, and who knew what that might lead to? He would have to be responsible and not let Sophie tire herself out too much, but all she really had to do was lie there.

* * *

Lily was beginning to regret her decision to go out with Ethan. She wouldn't have said she was shy, but she was introverted. She just wanted to get on with her life without drawing attention to herself. She liked her professional successes to be noted (though without anyone making a fuss), but apart from that she was quite happy to be under the radar.

Ethan was both shy and introverted, but he was still very good at getting himself noticed. First of all, he'd walked a bit too close to one of the cars in the car park and set the alarm off, causing several people to look at them.

When they reached the restaurant, Ethan had stepped back to let her go first, but then he'd suddenly decided he wanted to open the door for Lily. So he'd raced past her, almost knocking her off-balance, and collided with someone coming in the opposite direction. Once he'd finished apologising and trying to check the other person for non-existent injuries, he'd gone to open the door for Lily. Unfortunately, he tried to open the door outwards instead of inwards and instead of realising his mistake, he'd waved at someone in the restaurant and tried to tell them in elaborate sign language that the door was locked.

"What is wrong with you, Ethan?" Lily asked once they were finally seated. "You know, maybe it's a good thing you'll never try to have a relationship with Sophie. If you're this nervous about going out with me…"

"I'm sorry," said Ethan. "I'm not very good at dates. Um, not that this is a date."

"Exactly!" said Lily. "So relax, Ethan. I'm your friend. Tell me about work today."

From the face Ethan made, it looked as though it hadn't been a good day.

"Don't worry," said Lily sympathetically. "No-one knows better than me how difficult it is to work with Sophie."

It was the wrong thing to say. Ethan's voice was so loud, the people sitting behind him turned around to see what the fuss was about. "Sophie isn't difficult to work with!"

Lily gave him a disbelieving look. "Sophie throws herself into the arms of every doctor in the ED and you say she isn't difficult to work with?"

"I really don't think she threw herself anywhere," said Ethan. His voice was tight and he almost looked annoyed. "She certainly didn't throw herself into my arms. I hugged her. Because she was upset."

"But the situation with Dr Keogh," said Lily: "even if she genuinely felt faint, why would she go over to a doctor she hardly knows when she was already standing next to you?"

"She was going over to the chairs so she could sit down," said Ethan. His voice was mild and polite, but then, to Lily's amazement, he slapped the menu down onto the table. "Lily, is this why you said you'd have dinner with me? So you can tell me all the reasons why you don't like Sophie?"

Lily was startled to realise his voice was shaking with anger. "I didn't say I didn't like her. I just said she's difficult to work with."

"Well… don't." Ethan's voice was quieter now. "Please just don't."

* * *

Cal took possession of the remote control and made himself comfortable on Sophie's bed. They'd just had a very nice room service meal, but now it was time for dessert. Sophie had no interest in conventional dessert of either the literal or the figurative variety, but that was all right because Cal had laid his plans carefully.

The film had been recommended to him by a guy he knew slightly from the pub. It was a proper girly film about two people who fell in love, only to decide at the end that their best chance of achieving their dreams was to separate. Apparently, it was guaranteed to make any girl cry, and that suited Cal very well because Sophie would hardly object to a cuddle if she was crying. Then, as they'd already be lying on her bed, one thing would inevitably lead to another as comforting turned into coupling.

Sophie finished pouring the drinks – sparkling mineral water, of course – and returned to Cal. Cal took both glasses while she climbed onto the bed and settled a couple of inches away from him.

"No, move closer," said Cal. "You can't really enjoy a film with another person if you're sitting miles apart."

"I don't want you to get any ideas," said Sophie.

Cal smiled winningly. "I haven't got any ideas. The only idea I've got is you having an early night."

"Exactly!" said Sophie.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," said Cal. "I just mean you've had a hard day and you need to go to sleep early. So even if I do get any ideas, there probably won't be time for anything like that."

Sophie looked unconvinced, but she closed the gap between them and Cal put his arm around her.

"There! That's much better," he said in satisfaction and switched the DVD on.

* * *

Ethan was relieved when the food arrived. He hadn't really wanted to go out with Lily in the first place – how could it fail to be awkward when she didn't like Sophie and he most certainly did – but it had seemed rude to say no and he'd hoped it would make a change from spending the evening doing nothing but moping over Sophie and feeling alternately terrified that Cal might fall in love with her and then even more terrified that Cal might hurt her.

"Ethan? Ethan, I'm talking to you. Ethan!"

Ethan jumped. "Sorry, were you talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" said Lily. "I am the person you're having dinner with."

"Oh, right," said Ethan. "Sorry."

"Perhaps I should say the word 'Sophie' in every sentence," said Lily. "Then perhaps you might hear what I say."

"I'm sorry," said Ethan. He knew he should pretend to be happy; to ensure Lily had a pleasant evening, but it had been a tiring and emotional day.

Lily was looking at him in confusion. "Ethan, how can your feelings be this strong after just one week?"

"I don't know."

"I think Sophie is very silly."

Ethan gave a painful laugh. "Do you really think insulting her makes me feel better?"

"I'm not insulting her!" said Lily. "I just mean that she is silly to throw herself away on your brother, who probably doesn't care much about her, when she could have you."

"That's what love is like," said Ethan. "I can't control her feelings any more than I can control mine."

Lily frowned. "You can't control her feelings, no. But you must control your own."

Ethan shook his head. "You can stop yourself from acting on the emotion. I find that quite easy. Most of the time, I can stop it from overwhelming me. But that doesn't make it go away."

"Will you tell me," Lily said awkwardly, "why you like her so much?"

"Have you got all night?"

"Now you sound like your brother," said Lily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," said Ethan. "I just mean that it might take me a very long time."

Lily smiled and to Ethan's surprise, her voice was quite gentle. "I know what you meant, Ethan. I was trying to make a joke. That is what friends do."

* * *

Cal peered into Sophie's face. The film was already getting sad, but she didn't seem to be crying yet. It was only a matter of time, Cal knew, but he'd thought they'd be cuddling properly by this stage.

He kissed her cheek. Again, there was no sign Sophie had noticed, but Cal wasn't stopping there. His lips traced a path from her cheek to her neck. He kissed her again, increasing the pressure.

"Ouch, that hurt!" said Sophie, and pushed him away. "Cal, I know I happen to be interested in haematology, but that does not mean I want to go out with a vampire."

Cal stared at her. "I'm not a vampire!"

"Then stop behaving like one," said Sophie.


	23. Chapter 23

_I'm sorry, I know the stuff with Cal is over the top and unlikely. I just wanted to write something funny._

**ETWentHome**, thank you so much for your review. It really is so lovely when I try to write something funny and someone actually laughs! Cal should realise, yes, but he is quite good at deluding himself.

**TimeLadyOdair**, thank you so much! How amazing and lovely that anyone could name a character I've invented as part of their OTP. I'm really happy you think she's suited to Ethan and I hope your exams went well!

**Tato Potato**, I'm really happy you enjoy the jokes - sometimes I can't tell if my writing is funny or not so it's always encouraging to know the jokes are working. I'm really happy you like the storyline too. Thank you for the review!

* * *

Ethan had expected to find talking about Sophie difficult. He wasn't used to talking about his emotions, after all, and Lily wasn't usually the easiest person to talk to. But they were halfway through their meal now and he was still talking about her. "And she's so clever, Lily. I was worried about a patient today and I had no idea what was wrong so I was going to ask one of the consultants. But Sophie knew what was wrong straight away."

"How do you know she gave the correct diagnosis?" said Lily. She'd been throwing in abrupt questions all the way through Ethan's recital, but to his surprise, he'd always had an answer.

"Because she'd seen the problem before and recognised it," said Ethan. "Then she checked it with the patient, who confirmed it."

"Then she's probably done well," said Lily. There was an element of doubt in her voice. "I'm not sure a student should be doing that, but if it's a condition she understands…"

"It's a condition she's had herself," said Ethan. "It wasn't anything serious, Lily. Just an allergy to a brand of imperfectly-applied fake tan."

"I suppose that's all right," said Lily. "But what if Sophie and the patient are wrong about the cause?"

"If the patient follows Sophie's advice and the problem doesn't go away, I'm sure she'll be back," said Ethan. "But she wasn't having any medical problems apart from the rash."

"You see, that's one of my concerns with Sophie," said Lily. "Being a medical student is very dangerous. You think you know everything and that you're ready for anything, and that puts the patient at risk."

Ethan couldn't really argue with that. "I've noticed that too and I'm keeping an eye on it. I consider that to be part of my job with regard to Sophie. But she really is good, Lily. I wish you could see that."

Lily had some food before responding. "I do see that she has good qualities. I really do."

"But it seems as though you don't want to see them," said Ethan. "Perhaps I'm getting the wrong end of the stick and I'm sorry if I am. But it seems to me almost as though you _want_ to find fault with her." He laid his knife and fork down on the plate and looked searchingly at Lily. "Why do you dislike her so much, Lily? I don't understand it at all."

* * *

Cal glared at the screen of Sophie's laptop as the two characters gave each other looks of helpless devotion. It had been bad enough the first time they'd done it, but now it was just getting silly. It looked like they were both going to start crying and if they did…

Cal tried to harden his heart but it was no use. He barely suppressed a sob and the laptop became a blur as his eyes flooded with tears again. He blinked as fiercely as he could, but instead of going back where they came from, they trickled out onto his cheeks instead.

Great. Just great. Here he was, trying to impress a girl, and he was crying over some stupid film.

If Sophie had been crying too, maybe it wouldn't have been quite so bad, but she'd been completely dry-eyed last time Cal had checked and he definitely didn't want to check again now in case she sensed he was looking at her and turned to look at him.

He glared at the laptop again. The lovers were promising they'd always belong to each other, even if they never saw each other again. It was very clichéd and the script was awful, but Cal was completely losing it.

What was wrong with him? This never usually happened.

Cal sniffed and then froze in horror. What if Sophie had heard?

"Cal?" said Sophie. She sounded surprised, but not horrified or disgusted. "Here."

Cal looked down and realised she was offering him a tissue. She had noticed then. Why did girls always notice the things you didn't want them to notice? He actually didn't need her to give him a tissue because he had several in his pocket. They were for the 'inevitable' moment when Sophie started bawling. But now he definitely needed to keep them hidden or Sophie would think he cried over every film and had come prepared.

Cal really wished they'd gone to the cinema. At least then he'd have been in the dark. "Sorry," he said as he wiped his tears away. He had a feeling his face was bright red from embarrassment. Unless it was already red from crying.

"It's okay," said Sophie. She put her arm around him and caressed his shoulder. "You're not doing anything wrong."

Cal sniffed again and looked back at the laptop. He was feeling several emotions at once. Deep embarrassment. Disappointment that he was being denied the chance to comfort Sophie. And heartbreak for the couple in the film.

Cal decided that next time he saw the moron who recommended this film, he would kill him. Slowly.

Or on second thoughts, maybe not. The police and the lawyers would want to know why he'd done it and he didn't want the whole court to know he'd cried over a film.

There was one final kiss and the couple said goodbye. The credits rolled. Cal gave a sob and Sophie gave him a hug. "It's okay, Cal. It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Cal blurted out. "I wanted to comfort _you_!"

"You are," said Sophie as she stroked his hair. "I'm sure I'd have been in bits if you hadn't distracted me. It was a really sad film and they threw pretty much every weepy cliché at it."

"I'm not usually like this." Cal sniffed. "Not over films." He paused and sniffed again. "Or over things that aren't films."

Sophie held him more tightly. "Sometimes a film just gets to you. It might be because you've had a difficult day or you're tired or because you're really crying about something else. But that's okay."

Cal stayed in her arms for a bit longer, he sat up and dried his tears. "I was hoping I might get a cuddle, but I wasn't planning on sacrificing my manhood first."

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get what you want," said Sophie. She put her arm around him again. "But you're not doing anything wrong."

Cal hugged her again. "I'm glad I watched this with you and not Ethan or my mates."

"You see?" said Sophie. "There's always a positive."

Cal had another horrible thought. "Or imagine if I saw it with one of my other girlfriends! I'd never be able to look them in the face again. Though to be honest, I usually look a bit lower than their faces."

Sophie stopped hugging him. "You'd better be talking about past girlfriends, Cal, or we've got problems!"

"What? Oh, yes, of course," said Cal. "There are a few girls I promised to call and with one or two of them, I actually meant it. But then I met you so I changed my..." He stopped. "Actually, hang on, I probably shouldn't be saying all this to you, should I? It must be all the emotion getting to me. I'm not used to it. I don't know what I'm saying."

"Obviously not!" said Sophie. She gave him another hug. "But you are very emotional so I suppose I can let you off this once."

* * *

"It's not that I dislike her," said Lily. "I don't dislike her. She has behaved in ways I find… inadvisable, but I'm sure she's not a bad person."

"She's definitely not a bad person," said Ethan. "And I really do think she genuinely fainted. I think she is getting some enjoyment from hugging all the doctors, if only to keep Cal guessing, but I don't think she'd manipulate Dr Keogh deliberately, and if it wasn't a genuine syncope, I think he would have known."

Lily sighed and dropped her head into her hands. He was right. Dylan would never have been fooled by a faked faint.

"Lily?" Ethan sounded alarmed now. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't upset me," said Lily. She was upset, but it wasn't really Ethan's fault. "You really think I've been wrong about her all the time?"

Ethan's voice was gentle. "I'm sorry, Lily, and I admit I might be biased in her favour, but I really think you have. I know Sophie seems confident, but I don't think she feels that way at all underneath. She really was terrified for the first few days. She was desperate not to make a mistake – so she panicked and tried too hard."

"I intimidated her," said Lily quietly. "I made it worse."

"It wasn't your fault," said Ethan quickly. "Sophie's got so much promise, but it doesn't take much to knock her confidence. Of course she'll need to be stronger if she's going to be a doctor, but she's got time to learn."

Lily lifted her head and looked straight at Ethan. "If I'd known she was nervous, I would have tried to help. I know I'm not good at connecting with people, but I would have tried. Please believe me, Ethan."

"Of course I believe you," said Ethan. "I can understand why you misinterpreted her behaviour. Sophie spent the whole of her time with you making jokes and making mistakes. That would make a bad impression on a lot of people. That's one reason why I think it's important to spend time with a student in a social context too. If you get to know Sophie when she's relaxed, her behaviour when she's under pressure makes more sense. Once you've understood that, you can try to help her to relax when she's under pressure too."

"But she can be so… rude," said Lily, almost desperately.

"I honestly think that's pure panic," said Ethan. "She can be very cheeky with Cal, though I think that's partly to stay one step ahead of him, which is only sensible. She jokes with me all the time because we're friends. But with the people who aren't her friends, I think she just panics and says the first thing that comes into her head – and you can seldom trust the first thing that comes into your head when you panic."

"But…" Lily stopped. She could think of nothing more to say. She looked down at her plate, unable to meet Ethan's gaze.

Ethan reached across the table. His hand bashed against Lily's glass, but he didn't knock it over. He touched Lily's hand. "Lily, it's all right. Everyone makes mistakes. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"How do you know that's what I'm doing?" Lily's voice was tight.

"Because that's exactly what I'd be doing in your situation," said Ethan. His next words were more uncertain. "Though, of course, we're very different people, so perhaps I have got it completely wrong…"

"No, you haven't," said Lily. She looked down at Ethan's hand. She didn't usually like having her hand held, but Ethan's hold was reassuring. "Ethan, I have been spending all week hoping and hoping that I wasn't wrong. Looking for signs that proved I was right."

Ethan nodded understandingly. "Being wrong is never easy. But it's going to happen and it is something you can get used to."

"No, it's not that!" said Lily. Her voice was wavering dangerously and she had no wish to cry in a restaurant. "Give me a minute, please."

Ethan nodded and waited quietly, his gaze averted, until Lily had got herself under control.

"It's true I don't like to be wrong," said Lily. "No doctor does, though perhaps I do hate it more than most. But that isn't the worst thing. The worst thing is that I misjudged Sophie and hurt her and as a result, I almost drove her out of the hospital. Out of her dream job. I could have destroyed her whole life."


	24. Chapter 24

**theverystuffoflife**, oh yes, Cal crying was definitely supposed to be funny! I just wasn't sure if it was so I'm absolutely thrilled it made you laugh. Thank you for saying I write Cal well - I identify with him a lot which probably helps. Thank you for the review!

**ETWentHome**, thank you, it's so kind of you to say it was beautifully-written. I'm glad you like the comforting too - Sophie isn't always kind to Cal so it was good to be able to write a scene where she was. Thank you for thr review!

**AVMabs**, I haven't heard of the book, but it sounds like something I definitely shouldn't read in public! The most surprising things can make people cry sometimes. Thank you for the review and it's good to see you back online.

**TimeLadyOdair**, I'm sorry, I've kept you waiting for ages again! I so hope the update is worth the wait. I'm really happy you liked Cal's crying and the change in Lily's attitude. Thank you for the review and I'm glad your exams went well.

**Tanith Panic**, thank you very much for the review. I can relate to Cal crying at a film too, though I don't usually feel murderous towards the person who recommended it!

**Tato Potato**, I'm so glad I made you laugh! I couldn't let Cal's plan succeed and I wanted it to go wrong in a funny way so I'm really glad it worked. Thank you so much for all your kind words and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

"Lily, you mustn't think of it like that," said Ethan gently.

"How else can I think of it?"

Ethan hesitated. He really didn't think he was good at this sort of thing, but he would do his best. "You were doing your job, Lily. If you're in a position of responsibility, it's your job to put people right when they seem to be going wrong. You can't get it right every time, but you were responsible for helping Sophie to improve and responsible for keeping your patients safe. You had to say something."

"But she nearly left the hospital…"

"We don't know that she'd really have gone," said Ethan. "I'm inclined to think she would have stayed. Sophie does get very emotional sometimes, but she gets over it quite quickly. I think that's her way of dealing with things. She gets all the emotion out of the way and moves on. It would be even better if she learned to push it aside at the time and then deal with the emotions when she got home, but there's plenty of time for that."

"But if she had gone, it would have been my fault," said Lily.

Ethan shook his head. "She didn't go, Lily. You mustn't worry about things that didn't happen. There's quite enough to worry about in this job already without finding extra things."

Lily's voice was soft. "But what should I do? How can I make it up to her?"

"Honestly, I don't think you need to do anything," said Ethan. "You could apologise. Or you could show that you're sorry by treating her kindly. You could ask if she's feeling better. If we're ever working on the same case, you could compliment her if something goes well or reassure her if something goes wrong."

"Do you think that would work?" said Lily.

"I can't promise you'll become bosom buddies," said Ethan. He gave Lily a worried glance. "If that's not an offensive term to use. I wasn't actually commenting on… but I'm sure you can sort this out."

Lily pushed her hands through her hair. "She must hate me."

Ethan smiled and shook his head. "I honestly don't think Sophie hates anyone. If she's willing to throw herself into Dr Keogh's arms – not that I'm implying she did it on purpose – I don't think she's very fussy."

"Now, that is a very offensive thing to say to me!" said Lily, and smiled at Ethan's horrified face. "But I know you didn't mean it. I think sometimes, Ethan, I should try to judge people by their intentions. Not by their words."

* * *

Cal didn't stay long after the film had finished. He was too excruciatingly embarrassed to be in the mood for seduction and when Sophie said she was tired, he grasped onto the excuse gratefully.

"You'd better have an early night," said Cal. "Is there anything you need before I go?"

Sophie said she was fine and the two of them said goodbye. Cal kissed Sophie lightly on the mouth, but he didn't enjoy it as much as he usually did. He felt like such a baby and all he wanted was to go home and forget about it.

Once he was in his car, he checked his appearance in the mirror, grimaced, and phoned Ethan.

"Hi, Cal. Is everything okay?"

"I'm about to head home," said Cal. "I just wanted to check I wouldn't be interrupting anything."

"Well, yes, actually, you are," said Ethan. "You're interrupting my dinner with a friend."

Cal sighed impatiently. "I didn't mean that. I just wanted to check you and Lily weren't going at it on the living room table."

"Of course not!" Ethan said in a shocked voice. "We're still at the restaurant. Not that we're going at… we're sitting at the table, eating our food. And even if I did bring Lily back to the flat, we wouldn't… not on the table or anywhere else!"

"Great!" Cal said in relief. He couldn't imagine anything worse than Lily seeing he'd been crying.

Ethan's voice became anxious. "Everything is all right, Cal, isn't it? Is Sophie okay? She didn't faint again?"

"Everything's fine," said Cal. "Sophie's just a bit tired. So I told her she should have an early night."

"Yes, I imagine you did," murmured Ethan.

Cal laughed. "Not like that. I'm not saying I don't want to, but there's a time and a place. And it wasn't the time."

* * *

Ethan was tired and was looking forward to an early night, but he didn't want to leave Lily too abruptly. He knew she'd had a difficult day. He walked her to her door and accepted her offer of coffee on the grounds that she almost certainly meant it literally. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," said Lily. "I'm sorry for getting upset. It was stupid of me. I hope I didn't embarrass you."

"Of course you didn't," said Ethan, who genuinely hadn't thought about being embarrassed. "I just hope you feel a bit better now."

"I think so. Thank you," said Lily. "I hope you're right and she will forgive me."

Ethan smiled. "Well, I haven't been right about anything for ages so I'm due a success."

"Now you're exaggerating," said Lily severely, but there was a smile lurking in her dark eyes.

"Oh, yes: almost certainly," said Ethan. "But please don't worry, Lily. I'm sure everything will be fine."

* * *

Cal was still feeling embarrassed the next day. He avoided Ethan as much as possible and then went into work, not at all sure if he wanted to see Sophie or not.

As (bad) luck would have it, she was the first person he saw. She came up to him, smiling. "Hey, Cal. How are you?"

Cal checked that no-one was likely to overhear. "Better than last night," he said. "How about you?"

"I'm better than last night too," said Sophie. "But you really didn't do anything wrong last night." She whispered into his ear. "I think it's sweet when men cry."

"Really?" said Cal, startled. He'd spent the whole night thinking she was probably disgusted and horrified by his unmanliness, but perhaps some girls did go for that sort of thing. "How about letting me cook for you tonight then?" He lowered his voice. "The meal includes onions so tears are possible!"

"How can I refuse an offer like that?" said Sophie.

Relieved, Cal gave her a hug. "I'll meet you in the staff room after your shift finishes. Though I do hope we'll meet several times before then."

"I imagine we will," said Sophie. "The ED isn't that big." She smiled and walked away, only to turn back. "Will Ethan be there?"

"No, he's going out with Lily again," Cal lied easily.

"Oh," said Sophie, and Cal realised she was more put out about Ethan and Lily's relationship than he'd thought.

"I'm sure he's not condoning the things Lily said to you," said Cal.

"No, of course he's not," said Sophie, but she still didn't look very happy.

"And I'm definitely not condoning them," said Cal quickly. "I think you're great and if I had the choice between you and Lily, I'd choose you every time."

* * *

Ethan was collecting some files which he was determined not to let Sophie carry, no matter how much she insisted, when Cal sidled up to them. "Sophie, when's your break?"

Ethan wanted to say she'd already had it and Cal was too late. Then he wondered how he could have considered saying that. It wasn't true and Sophie would know it even if Cal didn't.

Besides, she was due for a break, Ethan realised. And while Sophie was enjoying her break with Cal, Ethan should probably have a word with himself about his jealousy. "You can go now if you like, Sophie."

Sophie looked disappointed. "Do I have to, Ethan? You said we might be doing an ECG next and Rita said she'd let me help with the next one."

Ethan tried not to laugh at the shocked look on Cal's face. "It sounds like Sophie would rather be with Rita than you, Caleb."

Cal spoke roughly. "I need to speak to you, Ethan."

"I'm not stopping you," said Ethan.

"In private," said Cal. "Sophie, will you go and wait for me in the staff room?"

The look Sophie gave him was far from adoring, but she said nothing. Not to Cal. "Ethan, I'll go and find Rita and say you've been unavoidably detained, but you should be with us soon."

"Very soon," said Ethan with a pointed look at Cal.

Cal waited until Sophie had gone. "I can't believe how you're treating her, Ethan! You're overworking her and it's not right. She fainted yesterday, for God's sake! Just because you don't need breaks, it doesn't mean Sophie shouldn't have them."

"We do have breaks," said Ethan. "As you should know, considering she's spent most of them with you." He stopped. He sounded jealous again. "But you're right. It is a bit late and I'll make sure we have a break after the ECG. I would insist on having a break now, but Sophie's been looking forward to it."

"Is that what she told you?" said Cal.

Ethan didn't like the look in his eyes. Had Sophie said anything to Cal about him? "Yes, that is what she said."

"You're as bad as Lily!" said Cal. "Getting her doing bloods and ECGs. She's not a nurse. She's a student doctor!"

"Sophie is interested in all aspects of medicine and keen to acquire any new skills," said Ethan. "There are a lot of medical procedures she isn't allowed to help with, even though she's perfectly capable, but she wants to be involved in our patients' care as much as possible and helping with ECGs allows her to be involved. If you don't believe me, I suggest you ask your girlfriend."

He turned away, but Cal grasped his arm. "Wait, there's something else."

Ethan's instincts told him he wasn't going to like this either. "What is it?"

"I'm cooking for Sophie tonight," said Cal. "I didn't think you'd be interested in joining us so I told her you had other plans. I'm just letting you know so you've got time to make some."

Ethan clenched his fists. "You're unbelievable."

"At least I gave you six hours' notice this time," said Cal. "You should be grateful."

"It's my flat, Cal! You can't just expect me to leave every time you want to invite someone over. I went out last night. Isn't that enough?"

Cal shrugged. "Well, if you want to stay in your room and listen to me having fun with the girl you like…"

"I don't like Sophie!" said Ethan, raising his voice. "I'm working with her because Zoe told me to work with her and that's all there is to it. Okay?"

He was expecting Cal to retaliate in some form. To say something cutting and disbelieving and probably quite funny if you weren't on the receiving end. Instead, he shoved Ethan aside. "Sophie, he didn't mean it."

Sophie's eyes were bright with tears, but her voice was icy. "On second thoughts, Dr Hardy, I think I will have my break now after all." She turned and walked away.

"No, wait…" Cal started after her, but then he turned and shouted at Ethan. "Now look what you've done!"


	25. Chapter 25

**TimeLadyOdair**, I'm so sorry for not making the conversation clear. Ethan definitely likes Sophie. He just doesn't like Cal teasing him about it in the middle of the ED. Thank you for the review - I'm really happy you enjoyed it, even though I messed it up!

**ETWentHome**, yes, the situation did turn out really badly, and so did the chapter! I hope Ethan will make amends, but it's possible someone has other ideas. Thank you for your review.

**CBloom2**, thank you for your review. I'm really relieved you could see where I was going with this chapter. Cal is very good at winding Ethan up, but of course, he has a lot of experience!

**Tanith Panic**, I hope I know what I'm doing, but I'm not at all sure about that! I'll try to sort Cal and Ethan out, but it won't last. They'll find something else to argue about - though not necessarily in this story. Thank you for your review.

* * *

Lily had spent the whole morning hoping she wouldn't see Sophie. To say she wasn't relishing their upcoming conversation would be an understatement.

When she saw Cal and Ethan talking at reception, Lily reluctantly decided it would be a good opportunity to get the difficult conversation out of the way. Sophie's admirers were both occupied so it was likely Sophie wasn't doing anything at all.

Lily approached nervously, but Sophie wasn't with them. It occurred to Lily that she could ask Ethan where she was, but then she realised the brothers were arguing and decided not to interrupt. She'd just finished picking up her files when Ethan started shouting at Cal. At almost that exact moment, Sophie appeared.

"I don't like Sophie!" Ethan was saying, loudly and untruthfully. Even Lily couldn't restrain a gasp when she saw the look on Sophie's face. She looked as though her heart had broken in two, though this seemed unlikely to Lily considering she was Cal's girlfriend.

Sophie handled the situation with impressive dignity and left, but Lily was glad when Cal went after her. Ethan stared after them, looking nearly as upset as Sophie.

Lily was tempted to slip away. She had work to do, after all, and comforting people was not her forte.

On the other hand, leaving people to suffer without trying to offer some sort of relief for their pain was very much outside her job description.

* * *

Cal chased after Sophie, but he didn't call out to her. His first instinct had been to tell her that she'd misinterpreted what Ethan said and there was no need to worry. But he now realised that with a few well-chosen words, he could turn this situation completely to his advantage. If he told Zoe what Ethan had said about Sophie, she could hardly insist that Sophie continued to work with him, and Cal was the obvious choice to replace him. If he let Sophie continue to think that Ethan didn't like her, their friendship would be over and Cal could finally get rid of the nagging feeling that Sophie might have more in common with Ethan than she did with him.

Sophie was on her way out of the building. Cal caught her up just outside the door and put his arms around her. Her eyes were still full of tears. "Come here, baby. Don't cry. Everything's going to be fine." He led her over to a bench. It was one of his favourite places for seduction. "You cry as much as you want to. I'm right here."

Sophie wiped her eyes. "I really thought he liked me."

Cal hugged her and tried to work out the best thing to say. How about… _Ethan pretends to like everyone. _Maybe that would make it seem a bit less personal – as though Ethan was only treating Sophie in the same way as he treated everyone else. Then it might not hurt so much. "Ethan pretends to like everyone," he said. "He even pretends to like me sometimes, though not very often."

Sophie gave a tiny sob.

No, that wasn't good. He was making her feel worse. There was a funny feeling inside Cal's chest and he knew it wasn't indigestion. "But he's not pretending with you, Sophie. He really does like you." He closed his eyes. _Why did I say that? Why?_

"Then why did he say that he didn't?" said Sophie.

_I can get out of this_, thought Cal. _How about… I'm sorry, Sophie. I want to make you feel better, but I can't lie to you. I care about you too much. Ethan was telling the truth. He doesn't like you._

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I want to make you feel better, but I can't lie to you," said Cal. "I care about you too much. Ethan was telling the truth."

Sophie's eyes filled with tears again.

Cal held her more tightly. "But you misinterpreted what he said, that's all."

_What? What's wrong with me? I'm always lying to girls. Why can't I lie to Sophie?_

Sophie blinked at him through tear-filled eyes. "How do you misinterpret something like that?"

Cal sighed inwardly. One of his biggest talents was making things difficult for himself. He tried to think of a way out. _Ethan was so annoyed with me, he ended up blurting out his real feelings about you. _He'd have to hope she forgot about what he'd said about misinterpretation, but perhaps she would. She was pretty upset.

"Ethan was so annoyed with me, he ended up blurting out his real feelings about you," said Cal.

Sophie's tears began to fall.

Cal felt terrible. "But the word like does have more than one meaning," he said quickly. _What? What am I doing now?_ "Ethan hasn't had many girlfriends, so when he does spend time with a girl, even if it's just at work, I tease him about it."

Sophie sniffed. "Cal, if you want to explain, why don't you just start from the beginning? You're making no sense at all."

_Okay, I'll just say what I was going to say before about Ethan saying his true feelings._ "I was teasing Ethan, saying he liked you – as in being attracted to you_." Stop now, Cal! That's enough! Just say it. I annoyed Ethan so much, he blurted out his true feelings. _"I annoyed Ethan so much, he blurted out his true feelings."

Sophie started sobbing.

"But he didn't mean it the way you thought," said Cal quickly. "I was teasing him, saying he liked you, as in being attracted to you. He got really annoyed and told me he didn't like you." He tried to think what to say next. _Because, and I'm so sorry to say this, baby, he doesn't like you. _"Because, and I'm so sorry to say this, baby, he doesn't… he doesn't always know what he's saying when he's angry." _Caleb! Sort it out!_ "What he meant is that he isn't attracted to you." _But actually he doesn't like you as a friend either_. "But actually, he doesn't like you… about as much he doesn't like his job."

"I still don't understand," sobbed Sophie. "Does he like me or doesn't he?"

And Cal gave up. He just couldn't do it. "Ethan likes you a lot, Sophie. He's just not attracted to you. He didn't mean to hurt you. He probably feels awful about it. You're like his best friend in the ED." He kissed her. "But I like you and I'm attracted to you."_I really must like her if I can't turn a simple situation to my own advantage. I just want to make her happy. I'd do anything to make her happy. _

He was fairly sure the feeling wouldn't last. It was no more than extreme sexual frustration mixed with a bit of unwilling admiration that she'd resisted him for so long. All he needed to do was sleep with her and the feeling would go away.

At this rate, he should probably get it sorted by Christmas.

* * *

Lily put her hand tentatively on Ethan's arm. "Ethan, are you all right?"

Ethan shook his head. He wasn't sure if he was answering her question or letting her know he didn't want to talk about it.

"Come on. It's time you had a break," said Lily firmly.

"The ECG…" Ethan said in such a quiet voice, Lily hardly heard him.

"Rita can do the ECG. She doesn't need a doctor to be present," said Lily. "I'll tell her you and Sophie are having your break."

Ethan hesitated for a moment, but then he did as he was told.

"It was an accident," said Lily once she'd got Ethan settled in the staff room. "Sophie only heard the end of what you were saying. So she misinterpreted it. I'm sure Cal will explain what happened, but if not, you can explain. Then everything will be all right."

"Do you think so?" said Ethan hopelessly.

"Why would I say it if I didn't believe it?" said Lily, slightly confused. "Do you still believe Sophie will forgive me for treating her so badly?"

Ethan looked blank for a moment, but then he seemed to recall what she was talking about. "Yes, of course."

"If Sophie can forgive hurtful words that I said on purpose, I'm sure she will forgive you for saying something innocent which she misinterpreted," said Lily.

To her relief, Ethan did look a little happier. "I suppose she might do. It does make sense when you look at it like that. Thank you, Lily."

"Anytime," said Lily, giving him a startled look. "I'm glad I was able to help."

This time, Ethan managed a smile. "Don't look so surprised."

"Why shouldn't I be surprised?"

Ethan looked at her sympathetically. "This situation with Sophie has really knocked your confidence, hasn't it?"

"Actually, no, it hasn't."

"Oh. All right then," said Ethan. "I'm sorry."

"I don't think the situation with Sophie has changed anything at all," said Lily with a sigh. "I always have doubted my bedside manner. I know I'm not sympathetic. I know I don't connect with patients. Sophie obviously isn't a patient, but perhaps she does need kindness and sympathy. It is a shock when you join a working ED. University doesn't prepare you."

"I've always thought you were sympathetic, Lily," said Ethan. "But perhaps you found it difficult to express it. I can understand that. I find it difficult too,"

"Sometimes, perhaps, I found it difficult to express my feelings," said Lily. "Other times… the feelings really weren't there."

"You can't feel genuine sympathy every time," said Ethan. "Some patients are time-wasters; others are very difficult to like. But you've been very sympathetic towards me. You really helped me yesterday. And you came to speak to me just now."

"I… I could see you were sad," said Lily. "And you're my friend. I don't want you to be sad."

"And now I'm not," said Ethan, and smiled.

* * *

For a moment, Ethan was relieved to have found them. Then he stopped feeling relieved because Sophie was crying and it was his fault.

It had been bad enough when Lily had upset her. This was just… Ethan felt like crying himself as he walked slowly towards them. Not for the first time, he called himself every bad name he could think of: names he usually reserved for Cal.

Cal was telling Sophie everything was going to be okay and Ethan definitely liked her. Ethan was a bit surprised. He'd been almost sure Cal would engineer the situation to stop him from working with Sophie – and for once, Ethan wouldn't have blamed him.

Cal looked up as Ethan came closer. Then he leaned closer to his girlfriend. "Sophie, Ethan's here. Do you want to talk to him?"

"I-I-I'd like to apologise," stammered Ethan. "To Sophie."

"Not to me for shouting at me?" said Cal. He shrugged. "No, you're right. Sophie's more important." He kissed her hair. "Do you want to talk to him, baby?"

"Okay," said Sophie tearfully. "We've got to work together. We need to sort this out."

Cal didn't let go of her. "Would you like me to stay?"

Ethan was a bit surprised. He'd expected Cal to insist on saying, if only to get at Ethan.

"I'll be okay," said Sophie.

Cal stroked her back. "Are you sure?"

Sophie sniffed. "I'm sure. But thank you."

Cal kissed her forehead. "Okay. But text me if you need me, okay?" He kissed her on the lips this time and stood up. The look he gave Ethan was fierce. "If I find out you've hurt her again…"

"I won't," said Ethan, hoping he could keep his word. He'd never want to hurt her, but sometimes things just came out wrong.

He watched Cal go, slightly surprised he really was leaving them, but Cal wasn't important.

Ethan turned back to Sophie. "Sophie, I… I…" He stumbled to an incoherent halt.

"Have you got a condom?" said Sophie.

Ethan stared at her. "Um… excuse me?"

Sophie smiled faintly. "That's what you usually offer to crying girls, isn't it?"

Ethan blushed. "You noticed?"

Sophie nodded.

"I thought it was a tissue," Ethan said awkwardly.

"Don't worry. It's an easy mistake to make," said Sophie. "But you should probably try to sort out which is which. For future reference."

"Probably," agreed Ethan with a faint smile. "I… I think I've got a condom if you... oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" Ethan blushed again.

"It's okay," said Sophie. She smiled. "But if you've got one…"

Ethan felt in his pockets. "Here you are." This time, it wasn't a condom.

Sophie thanked him and started to dry her tears. "And yes, I might refer to tissues as condoms for the rest of our lives. Or do you think that joke's a dead rubber?"

Ethan blushed even more, but he couldn't help smiling. "I think your words could be quite prophylactic."

Sophie laughed. "You're really johnny on the spot today, aren't you, Ethan?"

"You might say it's a bit of a French letter day for me…" Ethan hid his face in his hands. "Am I really having this conversation? I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry," said Sophie. "I'm not going to send you to sit in the naughty bag."

"So I don't need to get my… my raincoat?"

"No," Sophie said softly. "I'll give you all the protection you need."


	26. Chapter 26

**Tanith Panic**, I hadn't heard of naughty bags either, but none of the words in my condom vocabulary seemed to suit the situation so I had to resort to google for that one! Thank you for the review.

**TimeLadyOdair**, thank you so much for your very kind review - I'm thrilled you liked it so much, but I hope this one won't be disappointing in comparison. I'm sorry for making you cry and for any resulting awkwardness with your Nan! I hope this update isn't too late.

* * *

"Sophie… I'm sorry for… you know," said Ethan. "I didn't mean it. I do like you. I like you very much."

Sophie looked shocked. "Really?" she said softly.

"No! I mean yes! I mean…." Ethan took a moment to calm down. "Of course I like you. I like you as a friend and I admire, respect and like you as a colleague. Cal was teasing me and I overreacted. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I'm so sorry." His voice shook slightly. "I love working with you, Sophie, and I'd never want to hurt you."

Sophie smiled. "It's okay, Ethan. I think I overreacted too."

"Of course you didn't," said Ethan.

"I think I did," said Sophie. "And I like, admire and respect you too. As a friend and a colleague."

Ethan was doing his best to get over his disappointment when she hugged him. At first, he was too shocked to move, but his senses gradually returned and he hugged her tightly. As the relief flowed through his body, he began to smile. He knew they should be getting back to work, but he didn't want to move just yet.

Actually, he felt as though he could cope with not moving again ever. It felt so good to hold her in his arms. Her body was warm, her arms were affectionate and her scent was intoxicating. No, he definitely didn't want to move anywhere in the near future.

Sophie pulled away from him. Her breathing was shallow. Maybe she was still upset. "We should probably get back to work, Ethan."

"Only if you're ready," he said.

"I'm ready," said Sophie. She stood up. "I… I look okay, don't I?"

"You look b… you look fine," said Ethan. "Though you might want to go and find a mirror or something. But you do look fine."

Sophie laughed. "So I look good for someone with eyeliner everywhere except around my eyes."

"Yes," said Ethan. "Or maybe I mean no." He laughed a bit nervously. "I'm actually not quite sure what I mean. I mean whichever one isn't insulting."

"You know what? I think I'm going to take your advice about the mirror," said Sophie.

They both laughed and Ethan stood up. She was nearly as tall as he was in her unsuitable shoes. Their mouths were almost level. They were so close, they were almost touching. He looked into her eyes and it seemed so easy. All he had to do was put his lips on hers.

And then all she'd have to do was slap him.

And all Cal would have to do was punch him.

"Right. Let's get back to work then," said Ethan, and took a very large step back so she could go ahead of him.

* * *

Cal was still annoyed with himself. It should have been so easy. A few well-chosen words and Sophie would have been all his.

But Cal hadn't been able to do it and now she and Ethan were best friends again, laughing over something that Cal almost certainly wouldn't find funny.

Cal told himself he didn't care what they were saying, but he found he was edging closer, his ears straining for a snippet of conversation.

"But I really wanted to go," Sophie was saying. "I felt like I'd die if I couldn't go."

"How did you get in?" said Ethan with bated breath.

"I blagged my way in," said Sophie. "I insisted I'd been left off the guest list and if they didn't let me in, there would be a really big row and they would be the ones who suffered. So they apologised profusely and made me a special name badge. Dr S. Matthews. I've still got it. I thought it might be useful. You know, in the future."

Cal sat down next to her and smiled reminiscently. "I used to do that all the time when I was a student."

The look on Ethan's face was comical. "Caleb, you're not serious."

"Not that there were many parties I wasn't invited to," said Cal quickly. "Most people knew it wasn't a party unless I was there."

"This wouldn't have been a party even if you were there," said Sophie.

Cal looked at her, confused. "What?"

"We weren't talking about parties," said Sophie. "We were talking about industry conferences. The ones we'd been to; the ones we wished we'd been to; the ones we wished we _hadn't_ been to…"

Cal was having trouble producing words. "You… you blagged your way into an… an industry conference?"

"Yes, I did," said Sophie. "What's wrong with that? Apart from the fact I had absolutely no right to be there."

"But… but why would you want to go in the first place?" said Cal, completely bewildered now.

"I liked one of the speakers and I wanted to see him," said Sophie.

"Oh, I see!" Cal was so relieved there was a rational explanation, he didn't even feel jealous. "Which speaker was it?"

"Guy Self."

"Guy Self?" Cal almost shrieked. "You think _Guy Self_ is attractive?"

Sophie cringed. "Ew, no, of course not! I just thought he might have something interesting to say. As it happened, he didn't. He was a boring old windbag."

Not even the terrified look on Ethan's face as he checked they hadn't been overheard could restore Cal's equilibrium.

"But the rest of it was good," said Sophie.

"But…." Cal floundered. "Okay. Boring old windbag: fair enough. But the rest was _good_?"

Ethan was probably trying not to smile, but he was doing a terrible job of it. "Face it, Caleb. I'm not the only one who finds industry conferences enjoyable. Maybe next time I go, I should take Sophie along as my plus-one."

"You do that and I'll tell Sophie about that time we went to a conference together and that pretty girl dropped her bag at your feet and you bent over to pick it up!" said Cal menacingly.

"Do you mean the time my trousers split?" said Ethan pleasantly. His cheeks were stained with red, but his eyes met Cal's without fear. "I've already told Sophie about that. Most Embarrassing Moments at an Industry Conference was one of the first things we discussed." He smiled at Sophie. "Come on. We'd better get back to work."

It wasn't until they'd gone that Cal remembered that invitations to an industry conference didn't even include a plus-one. If they did, he'd have found them a lot more interesting, though it wasn't a bad place to pick up an intelligent one night stand.

Not that one-night stands of any intelligence level were of interest to him at present.

* * *

Ethan could tell Sophie was dying to say something. He also knew very well what it was. He tried to change the subject. "So our next patient will be um…" He stopped. He had no idea who the next patient was.

"Ethan, did you seriously split your trousers at an industry conference?"

"Yes, I did," said Ethan. He felt himself going red again.

Sophie's eyes were full of amusement. "You never told me that."

"Can you blame me?"

"No," admitted Sophie. "But how come you lied to Cal?"

"Because if my brother decides to terminally embarrass me," said Ethan, "the least I can do is get in first and spoil his fun."

Sophie laughed. "Fair enough. I do think Cal is really lovely. I wouldn't go out with him if I didn't like him. I think he usually does mean well. But… you know."

Ethan spoke with feeling. "Believe me, I do know."

They stopped at reception and picked up the next patient's file.

"Ethan?" said Sophie.

"Yes?"

"You know that conference I blagged my way into? If it makes you feel better, I tripped over my feet and spilled Guy Self's champagne in his lap. He looked like he'd had an accident, and not the kind we usually deal with."

Ethan smiled. "Do you know something? That does make me feel a little bit better. Thank you."

* * *

Lily saw the stretcher being wheeled in and went quickly to help. She gave the patient a cursory glance. His face was a mess of blood. Judging from the small moans he was uttering, he was also in a great deal of pain.

"This is Daniel King, aged thirty-three…"

Lily didn't hear the rest. She didn't hear anything except the cry of pain she gave when the stretcher went over her foot. She collapsed onto the floor, holding her toes and sobbing with pain. As a doctor, she could cope with anyone else's injuries, but any kind of injury to herself had always been much more difficult for her to deal with. Her imagination, usually firmly squashed beneath her professional, logical brain, came to the surface as she imagined everything the stretcher might have done to her.

Her toes felt wrong. There seemed to be something sticking out of one of them. A piece of bone? Lily cried even harder as pictures of damaged, misshapen feet flashed through her mind. In her work, her feet were less important than her hands, but she spent most of her time standing or walking. What if she couldn't do that anymore?

And all the time, the pain was so bad.

Dixie came and knelt beside her. "It's all right, lovely. I know it hurts, but someone will be with you soon."

"Please help me," sobbed Lily. She hated the way she was behaving but didn't know how to stop.

Then she heard Ethan's voice. "I'll take this, Dixie. Sophie, I'm sorry to ask you to deal with this, but could you find someone to help Lily? Thanks." He grabbed hold of the trolley and helped to wheel it to Resus.

Sophie knelt beside Lily and put her arm around her. "It's okay, Dr Chao. It's going to be fine. I'm just going to ask Max to bring you a wheelchair." She shouted across the ED to Max and stroked Lily's shoulder. "I know it feels like your toe's been cut off, but toe injuries usually seem worse than they are. I ran over my foot once with a wheelchair and I think I screamed the place down, but I don't think I even had a bruise. I was quite disappointed really."

"Here you are!" said Max's voice.

"Thanks: that was quick," said Sophie. "Could you help Dr Chao into the wheelchair, please?"

Lily felt Max lifting her carefully into the wheelchair. She wanted to tell Sophie there was something wrong, but she was sobbing too hard to speak.

"Thank you, Max. I'll take Dr Chao into cubicles," said Sophie. She touched Lily's shoulder and the wheelchair started moving. "I always knew those shoes were dangerous. If I ran over my foot with your wheelchair, it would definitely hurt, but my toes would be partly protected by the leather. There's much too much give in your shoes. Sometimes it really does pay to have fashion sense."

Lily put her hand over her mouth as she fought back sobs.

At least Sophie was being kind to her. She was talking complete rubbish as usual, but in a way, Lily appreciated it. It was good to have a voice to concentrate on and the fact Sophie was talking rubbish meant she probably wasn't expecting an answer.

Sophie stopped at the first cubicle. "I wonder if this one is…" She pulled the curtain aside. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She closed the curtain quickly. "There's a naked man in there. Quite a nice-looking one too, but I imagine your heart's going quickly enough already. Maybe I won't open this curtain: I'll just listen." She stepped closer to the curtain. "Oh, lovely! Someone's being sick. Let's not go in there." She moved Lily along to the next one. "This one seems quiet. If there is someone in here, they're obviously dead."

"Unless it's… Cal… up to his old… tricks," Lily managed to gasp out between sobs.

"He'd better not be or there'll be trouble!" said Sophie.

Lily suddenly remembered Sophie was Cal's girlfriend. "Sophie, I didn't mean…."

"It's okay, Dr Chao," said Sophie, her hand on Lily's shoulder. "I knew you were joking. I always tell jokes when I'm in pain." She pulled the curtain aside to discover Lofty with his arms around Robyn. "Well, about time too!" she said and pulled the curtain closed again.


	27. Chapter 27

**CausaltyFanForever81**, thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Haha, it might be a hint... but then again, it might not! very fic needs Lofyn love... it's not like we're getting any on TV! Thank you for the review.

**ETWentHome**, you could be right about Sophie. I would be completely torn if I was in her position! Sophie does do some kissing in the chapter after this, but I can't _promise_ it'll be with Ethan. Thank you for the review!

**TimeLadyOdair**, I was going to update this afternoon for you, but unfortunately part of my laptop exploded, which meant all my fics had to be converted to a format our ancient PC could handle. So I am sorry if I keep you awake again! I'm happy you liked Ethan's kissing fantasies and the Guy Self part. I thought about using a current character, but it had to be an older male character Sophie could conceivably have heard of and I didn't really think Dylan or Charlie filled the bill. I love your reviews - they're always so kind and detailed. Thank you!

**Tanith Panic**, thank you so much for your kind review. I just hope the standard doesn't drop too much with the next chapter! There aren't as many jokes in this one. Yes, Ethan spltting his trousers is constantly on my mind too.

**Tato Potato**, I'm just really happy and grateful you're reading them at all so don't worry if you miss a few chapters and have to catch up later. Thank you very much for your review and I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter.

* * *

The next cubicle was empty and Sophie quickly wheeled Lily inside.

She pulled the curtains closed, shielding Lily from the eyes of any passing colleagues, and reached for Lily's hand. "Would you like me to fetch someone qualified, Dr Chao? I think Cal's due for a break soon. I can go and find him if you like. Or maybe one of the nurses."

"No!" Lily felt herself beginning to panic again. "Don't leave me. Please."

"Well, I'm not supposed to do anything unless there's a doctor present," said Sophie doubtfully, but then she smiled. "But you're a doctor so there's no problem!" Sophie squeezed Lily's hand. "Shall I help you onto the bed?"

Lily nodded tearfully. With Sophie's support, she got out of the wheelchair and sat on the bed. "I think… I think it is broken… I felt bone," Lily sobbed out.

"Don't worry. It's going to be okay," said Sophie. "It's not very nice breaking a bone, but this is the very best place for it to happen. Just let me take your shoe off and then I can call for help if we need it."

Lily held her breath as Sophie removed her shoes. Sophie lightly touched Lily's sock and gasped.

"What's wrong?" said Lily anxiously, leaning forward so she could see better, but Sophie's head was in the way.

"No, actually, it's okay," said Sophie as she removed Lily's sock. "I can see why you thought there was something sticking out of your foot, but it's actually just your nail. It looks like the wheel went underneath your toenail, forcing the nail back. It sounds a bit gross, but it's actually very easy to deal with. I'll get some nail scissors and cut it off as close to the toe as I can. Can you wiggle your toes for me, Dr Chao?"

Lily did as she was told.

"How do they feel?"

"Bruised," said Lily.

"That's good!" said Sophie.

Lily glared at her. "No, it isn't."

"Well, no. It's not _good_," said Sophie. "But you've got to admit there are worse feelings than being bruised." She swept on before Lily could answer. "Okay, Dr Chao, I'm going to make a more detailed examination of your foot. I'll just take your other shoe and sock off so I can make comparisons." Once that was done, she took Lily's bad foot in her hand again. "This might hurt, but if so, you're free to call me all the rude names you like. I need to know where it hurts and how much, but I'm not going to ask you how much it hurts on a scale of one to ten because that's the most annoying thing ever. It's not even scientific!"

"I agree," Lily said in a shaky voice. She tried not to start crying again as Sophie poked and prodded her foot, but it did hurt and she was so afraid of what Sophie would tell her and so aware that the same thing could happen again.

"I don't think anything's broken," said Sophie. "You have full movement and there are no swellings, but we can keep an eye on that. I'll ask someone to make you some tea, then you can try walking on it and I'll ask Ethan or Cal for some pain meds."

Lily couldn't hold back a little sob.

Sophie looked up in alarm. "Oh, don't cry, Dr Chao! This kind of injury is always a shock, but I'm sure you'll be okay." She patted Lily's leg. "I could go and ask about the pain meds now if it's really bad."

"It's okay. I'm sure I'll be fine," said Lily as she frantically brushed tears from her eyes. Now she knew there wasn't a bone sticking out of her foot, she didn't feel quite so terrified, but she still felt weak and shocked.

Sophie moved away from Lily's foot and put her arm around her. "You don't look fine. And you don't have to be fine. Not even when you're a doctor."

"I just… I'm not good with pain." Lily began to cry again as she admitted it. "I know it's a terrible thing for a doctor to say, but it frightens me. I can cope with other people's pain, but not mine. Does that make me horrible?"

"Of course you're not horrible!" said Sophie as she hugged Lily more tightly. "Pain is what's horrible. And the thing about being a doctor is you know all about injuries so you know all the worst-case-scenarios and the possible consequences. Cal stubbed his toe on my bedside table yesterday and he screamed and insisted on having a lie-down on my bed. I thought it was part of his seduction technique at first, but he was seriously in pain for a while."

"But I'm sure he didn't cry," sobbed Lily.

"Well…" Sophie paused. "Please don't tell anyone I said this, but actually, Cal did cry yesterday. And I cried for ages today just because I thought Ethan didn't like me. So I don't think you have any reason to worry."

Lily cried even harder. "Why are you so kind to me, Sophie? I don't deserve it!"

"Why don't you deserve it?" said Sophie gently. "Everyone deserves kindness when they're hurt."

"But I hurt _you_." Lily covered her face with her hands. "I said such terrible things."

"You were just expressing a legitimate concern about my future prospects," said Sophie.

"But you nearly left the hospital because of me!"

Sophie hesitated. "I talked about leaving the hospital, yes. But I talk a lot of rubbish sometimes and I don't always mean half of what I say. I didn't leave, so there's no need to worry."

"I'm sorry, Sophie." To Lily's surprise, the words came out easily. "For everything I said."

"Don't worry about it," said Sophie. "It doesn't matter. And I was terrible, you've got to admit. I can't blame you for thinking I was beyond help. I expect Cal would have agreed with you if I didn't happen to be female." She gave Lily a hug. "It's okay. Don't think about me anymore. It doesn't matter. Let's think about you, Dr Chao, okay?"

"My name is Lily," said Lily as she hugged her back.

* * *

Ethan was surprised when Lily entered Resus, helping to wheel the stretcher. Sophie hadn't given him many details about Lily's injury, but he'd seen for himself how upset Lily had been. He'd expected her to take the rest of the day off and to be extremely wary of her next encounter with a trolley, but here she was, her face as calm and unemotional as ever.

"Hi, Lily," said Sophie as the junior doctor approached.

Ethan tensed, certain neither the greeting nor the first name would go down well with Lily, but not for the first time in his career, Dr Hardy was wrong.

"Hi, Sophie," responded Lily, sounding almost friendly.

Ethan found this development even more surprising than Lily's return to work. Although he'd always believed that Sophie and Lily ought to be on first-name terms, it wasn't something he'd expected to happen. He'd also never expected Lily to bother saying hello to someone when there was a patient to worry about. It wasn't usual professional practice and few people were stricter about professional practice than Lily.

Ethan didn't know what Sophie had done, but he was impressed.

Still, now wasn't the time to contemplate Sophie's good qualities. Ethan took Sophie's hands (an action which seemed to coincide with a sudden increase in the room's temperature) and showed her how to support the patient's legs. On Dixie's count of three, they moved the patient onto the bed. Ethan gave Sophie a quick, whispered "well done!" and set to work. Sophie retreated a short distance so she could watch without getting in the way.

When he realised the gravity of the situation, Ethan couldn't help wishing he'd insisted on Sophie leaving Resus. He, Lily and the nursing team worked as quickly as they could, but they couldn't prevent the patient from going into cardiac arrest. Lily began compressions, but time passed and there was no effect. Ethan's eyes met Lily's. Lily looked completely calm with no outward signs of the distress Ethan was experiencing, but Ethan didn't doubt she was hurting as much as he did.

"Keep going," said Ethan quietly. It was still too soon give up, but Ethan just knew it would be useless. He looked at Sophie, whose eyes were fixed on the patient, and decided he should give her some kind of explanation. "We can't defibrillate, Sophie. The heart isn't in a shockable rhythm."

"Pulseless electrical activity." Sophie's voice was so soft, he barely heard it.

"Yes, that's right. I should have known you'd know." Ethan tried to smile at her but couldn't manage it. He turned to Lily and asked her to stop compressions for a moment, but there was no pulse. The junior doctor was breathing hard so Ethan took over, but he knew that soon he'd have to make the call. He stopped compressions, checked again for a pulse and shook his head. "I don't think there's anything we can do. If we're all agreed?"

Lily and the nurses nodded.

Ethan's eyes met Sophie's. "I'm sorry." He'd never wanted her to experience something like this. Not now. Not ever, but certainly not until she'd finished her training.

"You don't have to apologise, Ethan," said Sophie. "And I know my opinion doesn't count, but I agree too."

The steadiness of her voice restored a little of Ethan's strength. He looked at the monitor and announced the time of death. Ethan's sadness was mirrored on the faces of the colleagues standing around him. There was a lot to be done, but there was no need for Sophie to stay. She'd lost her first patient. She'd suffered enough.

"Lily, could you take Sophie to the staff room and stay with her, please?" he said.

Lily nodded and moved to Sophie's side.

"Ethan, I'll go if that's what you want," said Sophie. "But I know being an ED doctor isn't just about making people better. If you're happy for me to stay, then this is an important part of my training." Her lip quivered just slightly, but then it was still again. "It's very sad, but it's still important."

* * *

Lily stayed close to Sophie as Ethan got on with his work. She was deeply impressed by Sophie's composure, but didn't doubt that Sophie was feeling just as sad as she was. Lily hadn't said very much to Sophie as she wasn't at all confident she'd say the right thing, but her gut feeling was that Sophie would prefer her to stay silent. The only move Lily had made to comfort Sophie was by taking her hand. Surprise and shock had come into Sophie's face and for a moment, Lily had thought Sophie would tear her hand away, but she hadn't.

They were still holding hands now and Lily couldn't deny that it was comforting to have someone to hold onto.

When he'd finished everything that needed to be done, Ethan came over to them and spoke in a slightly choked voice. "Lily, would you stay with Sophie while I inform the relatives, please?"

Sophie let go of Lily's hand and turned to Ethan. "I'd rather go with you." She looked at Ethan for a moment, the sadness in her eyes immediately replaced by a concern that startled Lily with its intensity. Sophie reached out and suddenly put her arms around Ethan. Ethan's eyes filled and he hugged her back.

"I have to do this on my own," he said, his voice calm now despite the tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't really ask permission for a student to watch me delivering bad news."

"I didn't mean it like that," said Sophie. Her voice was shaking now. "I just wanted to be there because I know you're upset and I care about you."

Ethan looked amazed and touched and completely without words. He closed his eyes and held Sophie more tightly.

Lily couldn't see Sophie's face, but she didn't need to. The voice was enough. Sophie _really_ cared about Ethan.

But in that case, what was she doing with Cal?

Lily guiltily realised now wasn't the time to think about it.

"I know. I didn't mean… I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm not very good at this side of things yet," said Ethan. "I wish you could be there with me, but I'm afraid it's impossible. Lily, you will stay with Sophie, won't you?"

"Of course I will," said Lily.

"Thank you," said Ethan gratefully. "I'm sure you'd like to be with Cal, Sophie, but it looks like he's busy." Cal was attempting to resuscitate another patient who'd been involved in a separate incident. "But as soon as he'd finished, I'm sure-"

"I don't want to be with Cal!" said Sophie. She was still holding onto Ethan, who likewise hadn't let her go. "I mean, if you don't want to talk, I understand. But… we were both here. Cal wasn't."

Ethan nodded as though he understood. "Of course. We will talk later. I promise."

Lily knew he hadn't seen the whole picture. Ethan thought the reason why Sophie was clinging to him as though she never wanted to let go was because she wanted him to comfort her.

Lily knew that in fact it was because she wanted to comfort him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Tato Potato**, I'm happy you like how Lily has changed - I didn't want to change her too much, but her attitude was getting in the way of my plans for the story! Thank you for the review.

**Tanith Panic**, it was painful when it happened to me too! I'm glad you like the developing friendship and relationship. I'm not too sure what to do about Cal though! Thank you for the review.

**TimeLadyOdair**, I'm glad the last chapter cheered you up a bit. Saying goodbye to people can be really difficult. I hope you're feeling better now. Here's another early update for you! I could be wrong, but it might make you scream. Thank you for the review!

**ETWentHome**, thank you for the review. I'm glad you like Sophie and Lily's friendship - there will be more about that in later chapters! I'm also glad you like Sophie and Ethan as they are in this chapter quite a lot...

* * *

Ethan delivered the news, spent some time with the bereaved relatives, then went to the staff room with heavy steps. For once, he wasn't looking forward to seeing Sophie because he wasn't sure what he could say. Unfortunately, death was a big part of working in an ED and he couldn't tell her it would get easier because it wouldn't. Over time, he'd become better at not showing his feelings, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

He opened the door of the staff room. Sophie and Lily were hugging. Ethan smiled at the sight, but then he remembered what had prompted it and his smile trembled and disappeared.

Sophie looked up and their eyes locked. It didn't look as though she'd been crying, but she looked sad. Ethan crossed the room quickly and sat beside her. She looked at him for a moment, her lips slightly parted as though she was about to speak, but she made no sound. Instead, she put her arms around him and held him as tightly as she'd done in Resus.

It had moved Ethan almost to tears then and it did the same now. He'd always received a lot of support from his colleagues, but he was hardly ever given a hug. But it was more than a hug. As Sophie held him, he felt that if he wanted to cry his eyes out on her shoulder, he could. He was free to feel whatever he was feeling and there was no need to hide anything from Sophie.

But Ethan didn't want to cry. He was afraid that if he let the feelings take hold, they might not stop and he had so much to do. Patients to see; paperwork to complete; just a few more hours to help Sophie to become an even better doctor than the early signs suggested.

He heard Lily's voice and jumped slightly: he'd forgotten she was there. "As you're here, Ethan, I'll leave now. I know the outcome wasn't good, but you did well, Sophie, and I'm very pleased for you."

"Thank you, Lily," said Sophie. Her words were sincere, but part of her focus was on Ethan. He could tell from the way her hand ran up and down his back.

"You're welcome," said Lily. A few moments later, the door closed behind her.

Ethan blinked his tears away and decided it was time he did some comforting of his own. He stroked Sophie's back and turned his head slightly so he could speak almost into her ear. This meant his face was pressed against hers and for a moment he could think of nothing else, but then he began to calm down a bit. "How are you?" he murmured. He wasn't sure why he was speaking so softly. Perhaps because he was worried that his normal voice might seem like shouting when his lips were so close to her ear; perhaps because she'd robbed him of his voice as surely as she'd stolen his heart.

"I'm okay," said Sophie. Her arms tightened around him. "I'm just worried about you."

Ethan felt her breath tickling his ear. He felt intoxicated. The thoughts he was having were deeply embarrassing and just wrong, but he couldn't stop them any more than he could let go of her.

"Are you okay?" said Sophie. The anxiety in her voice had increased at his lack of response. She had no idea – and she never would have any idea, Ethan told himself – that the reason for his silence was due to the overpowering feeling of being in her arms.

"I'm… okay," said Ethan. He closed his eyes for a moment and reminded himself that the woman he was holding was Cal's girlfriend. A girlfriend he actually seemed to care about too. If Ethan acted on his emotions, he would upset the two people he loved most in the world. "It is always a horrible situation, but it's one you can learn to deal with. I'm dealing with it. My main priority is to look after you."

Sophie shivered slightly in his arms.

Ethan held her more tightly. "Losing a patient can provoke a lot of different feelings," he said, rather concerned to realise his predominant emotion wasn't anything to do with his job. "Sadness, of course. Helplessness. Even anger. If you're experiencing any of these emotions, Sophie, it's all right."

"I do feel sad," admitted Sophie.

"And that's all right," said Ethan again. He sat up slightly so he could look at her and his heart lurched as he realised how close her face was. "I'm sad too. Everyone who was involved is sad."

Sophie stroked his hair a couple of times. Ethan wasn't sure when he'd last had his hair stroked. Cal ruffled it occasionally, but that was usually to annoy him. All he knew was that it was much more comforting than words would have been. The only problem was that it was making his eyes fill with tears again and his throat ache.

He very nearly did cry, but then Sophie kissed his cheek. After that, she froze in his arms as though she was afraid of what his reaction might be, but all Ethan wanted was to reassure her. He didn't usually kiss anyone and he would have been terrified of kissing Sophie if she hadn't kissed him first. But he didn't want her to think she'd made a mistake. He didn't want there to be any awkwardness between them.

Ethan kissed Sophie on the cheek.

Their eyes locked. They smiled.

Then they just hugged.

* * *

Cal walked out of Resus and let out a long sigh.

Lofty, who was passing, gave him a sympathetic look. "Are you okay?" he asked in an undertone.

"I'm fine," said Cal. "It just gets to you a bit sometimes."

Lofty nodded understandingly. "Yeah, it does."

"I was _this_ close to stopping compressions," said Cal. "But I didn't and then we got a pulse and it looks like she's going to be okay. I'm happy of course, but it scares me that I could so easily have let her go."

Lofty put a supportive hand on Cal's back. "Maybe you should take a break. See if you can find Sophie."

At the sound of her name, Cal sighed again. "If she wants me to find her."

Lofty looked a bit surprised. "Why wouldn't she want you to find her?"

Cal hesitated. He wasn't at all sure he wanted to discuss his problems with anyone, but he was having trouble figuring out the answer on his own. "I can't talk now. I need to go and speak to the relatives. But maybe you could meet me outside in, say, fifteen minutes?"

"As long as no-one important requests my presence, I'll be there," promised Lofty.

Cal felt a little bit better as he went to give the relatives the good news. He wasn't entirely sure Lofty would be able to give him any advice, but maybe just saying the words aloud would help him to sort things out in his mind. In any case, there wasn't anyone better than Lofty. The last person he wanted to betray his insecurities to was Ethan and he'd be lucky to get any sort of response out of Dylan.

He got himself a coffee and went outside to find Lofty already waiting on the bench. Cal remembered the last time he'd shared the bench with Sophie and sighed again.

"What's up?" said Lofty, clearly concerned.

"Do you think Sophie likes me?" said Cal.

Lofty stared at him in amazement. "Are you serious?"

"It's a simple question!" said Cal. "I'm asking you for your opinion. Any time this century would be good."

"Sorry, it's just not like you to ask questions like that," said Lofty.

Cal's sigh was annoyed this time. "Are you going to answer the question or not?"

"I'll try…" Lofty didn't seem to know what to say. "I would think yes. Considering she's your girlfriend."

Cal tried to derive some comfort form this answer, but he couldn't. "I need a bit more than that."

Lofty began to look nervous. "I don't think Sophie would go out with you if she didn't like you. She seems happy with you. Why do you think she might not like you?"

"It just seems like we don't have much in common," admitted Cal. "She doesn't really drink; she loves industry conferences; she thinks Ethan's jokes are funny…"

Lofty smiled to himself. "It sounds like she has more in common than Ethan than with you."

Cal dropped his eyes. "That's what I've been thinking."

"But opposites attract," said Lofty quickly. "Look at Zoe and Max. People who are similar are often better off as friends."

"I suppose so," muttered Cal. He had some coffee and managed not to gasp when the hot liquid burned his tongue.

"The most important thing is that you like each other," said Lofty. "You like her and she seems to like you. I don't think she'd lead you on if she liked Ethan."

"That's what I was hoping," said Cal. "But I just don't know what to think, Lofty. I don't have much experience of this kind of thing. Not, you know, caring about someone."

Lofty nodded sympathetically. "Your last girlfriend really knocked your confidence, didn't she."

"I wouldn't say that," said Cal quickly. "But it's made me aware that sometimes even my charm isn't enough."

* * *

Ethan patted Sophie's back helplessly and hoped that was the right thing to do. She'd been so brave at first. So strong. She'd really helped him to feel better.

But then, just when Ethan was on the point of suggesting they went back to work, Sophie had started to cry. And cry.

So Ethan was hugging her. It didn't seem to be calming her down, but she was hugging him back so she probably didn't object to the physical contact.

"It's all right," said Ethan softly. "I know it's difficult, but it really is all right."

Sophie didn't answer. She was probably crying too hard to speak. Every sob hurt Ethan; every sniffle threatened to bring tears to his eyes as well, but he managed to stay calm and at last, Sophie showed some signs of calming down too. Her sobs slowed and then stopped altogether, though when she spoke, the only word he could make out was 'doctor'."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. What was that?" said Ethan.

He nearly groaned aloud when he realised what he'd called her. He had no right to call her things like that!

Sophie sniffed and lifted her head from his shoulder. Her eyes were swollen and still wet. Her face was streaked with tears and black stuff. Some kind of make-up, Ethan thought, but he didn't have the expertise to go further than that.

She spoke again, her voice thin and small. "Does this mean I can't be a doctor?"

Ethan stared at her for a moment, then hugged her close to him again. "Of _course_ it doesn't mean that."

Sophie rested her head against his shoulder. "Everyone always tells me I have to be stronger."

"You are strong," said Ethan firmly. "When we were in Resus, you were strong. You supported me. You made me feel better. Then when I came here just now, you supported me again. Losing a patient is always difficult. Even for me. Even for Mrs Beauchamp. Losing your first patient is particularly devastating and you haven't even completed your training yet so you're not nearly as prepared as most people are." He stroked her hair. "Please don't think you're weak because you're crying now. We all cry over patients sometimes – sometimes here in the ED and sometimes at home. I've done it. It happened to Cal a few days ago, though I don't think I'm supposed to know about that so I wouldn't mention it to him."

Sophie laughed shakily. "I won't."

Ethan smiled. "I know it's difficult, sweetheart, but you did really well and I'm proud of you."

"Really, Ethan?"

"Really." Ethan kissed her forehead.


	29. Chapter 29

**Tato Potato**, I'm really happy you like Ethan and Sophie as a couple! Cal is a problem though - as I'm sure many people have said before! Thank you so much for your review.

**ETWentHome**, thank you for your review. I'm happy you liked Ethan comforting Sophie. I haven't seen him doing much comforting in the series, but I'm sure he'd be good at it - he's just shy!

**TimeLadyOdair**, your reviews always make me smile so much - thank you! I hope you're feeling completely better now. Doctors are good at making people feel better so I'm glad I was able to send you Dr Hardy! I'm afraid there's no more kissing in this chapter, but maybe they're thinking about it. Poor Cal, I think he probably needs a hug at the moment!

**Tanith Panic**, Lofty's compassionate side is the thing I love most about him. His clumsiness is adorable, but it's the way he really cares about the patients that really makes me love him. And he looks good as well! Thank you for your review.

* * *

"So the red blood cell count was fine," said Ethan as he showed Sophie the results of a patient's blood test.

"I think we can take that as red," said Sophie.

Ethan was laughing almost too hard to get his next sentence out. "You might even say she has the iron's share."

"She's bloody lucky," said Sophie.

"I hope she won't be vein about it," said Ethan.

Sophie smiled. "Ethan, do you get the impression this conversation is going round in circulation?"

"Absolutely. We just keep pumping out the same information," said Ethan.

"Like a vessel for bad jokes," said Sophie. "How are her white blood cells?"

"Perfectly all white," said Ethan.

"Not even the smallest clot on the landscape?" said Sophie. "Our patient will be disappointed."

"I'm sure you're celling her short," said Ethan.

"Oh, she was blood-banking on something being wrong with her."

Ethan gave a reluctant nod. "You're probably right. But the only thing negative we've found is her blood group."

"Well, don't tell her she's got the Resus factor," said Sophie. "You'll only get her hopes up."

They both jumped when Lily spoke. Ethan had honestly thought he and Sophie were alone in the staff room.

"Sophie. I was hoping you might examine my foot again," said Lily. "As you're the medic who treated me, it seemed appropriate to come back to you."

Ethan was slightly disappointed by the interruption, but he couldn't help feeling proud of Sophie. It wasn't everyone who could win Lily over. "I'll leave you with your patient, Sophie. I'll be in cubicles if you need me."

* * *

Sophie watched Ethan go, a smile on her face. She kept smiling for a couple of seconds after the door was closed, but then she turned back to Lily. "Okay, Lily. Let's have a look at your foot."

Lily held up her hand. "No, Sophie. My foot is fine. It was a pretext."

"A pretext?" Sophie looked confused. "Do you mean a pretext to get rid of Ethan? But why would you want to…"

"I wish to talk about men," said Lily. She wondered if she'd ever said that before and decided she probably hadn't. "Specifically, Dr Knight and Dr Hardy."

Sophie looked alarmed. "Talk about them in what way?"

"Sophie, I'm not good at this. I might have made a mistake. But I believe you are in love with Ethan."

Sophie looked desperately around the staff room. Perhaps for an escape; anything that would mean she could avoid continuing the conversation. "I'm Cal's girlfriend," she said at last. "And Ethan is your boyfriend."

Lily shook her head. "Ethan is not my boyfriend. We're just friends."

"But you went out to dinner."

"Yes, as friends!" said Lily impatiently. "And as he is my friend, I want him to be happy so I need to know: are you in love with Cal?"

Sophie looked slightly wary. "I think it's a bit too soon to be in love with Cal. He's been kind to me and he's very good company."

"But he's not Ethan," said Lily.

"No, he's not Ethan," said Sophie sadly. Then she smiled brightly. "I think you'll find most people aren't Ethan."

Lily felt the stirrings of annoyance, but she realised Sophie was just trying to avoid the question. "Perhaps you can answer this question instead. Are you in love with Ethan?"

"Of course I'm not!" said Sophie.

Lily spoke firmly. "Please honest with me, Sophie."

Sophie looked away and was silent for so long, Lily thought she wasn't going to answer. Then Sophie finally mumbled a reply of sorts. "What am I going to do, Lily?"

"Break up with Cal and be with Ethan." That seemed the obvious answer to Lily.

Sophie shook her head helplessly. "It's not that simple."

"Why isn't it simple?" said Lily.

"Because Ethan isn't interested in me," said Sophie. "I thought he was at first because he asked me out for a drink, but then he gave me a big speech about the inappropriateness of dating a colleague. It was very clear he was letting me down gently."

Lily was almost amused. She wished she could correct Sophie, but she believed that was Ethan's job. "Even if Ethan isn't interested, is it fair to go out with Cal when you don't like him?"

"I do like Cal," said Sophie. "He's really sweet, but it's only a casual thing. Cal isn't serious about me. I told him right from the start that I was getting over someone – though I didn't tell him it was Ethan – and he said that was fine. He said it was silly to sit in my hotel sighing over Ethan every night when I could be enjoying myself with him. And he was right."

Lily nodded: she was inclined to agree about Cal. There was no danger of him getting hurt. But Ethan was another matter. _Sophie_ was another matter.

"And Cal is gorgeous," said Sophie. "I always have a good time with him when he remembers to keep his hands to himself."

Lily frowned. "But aren't you supposed to enjoy it when your boyfriend doesn't keep his hands to himself?"

"There are limits," said Sophie. "And by extension, there are also definite parts that are off-limits."

Lily nodded: this made sense. "How do you feel when Ethan touches you?" she asked.

"Like I'm in urgent need of an ECG," said Sophie.

* * *

Lily walked over to Robyn and smiled brightly.

Robyn looked worried. "Is there something wrong, Lily?"

"Why would there be something wrong?" said Lily, surprised.

"Well, you're smiling," said Robyn.

"Am I?" Lily stopped smiling. "Is this better?"

Robyn considered and a smile came over her own face. "Actually, I really liked the smile."

Lily wished the nurse would make up her mind, but she wasn't here to discuss smiles. She decided to get to the point and skip the small talk. It really wasn't her forte and she didn't have time. "I would like your advice on matchmaking, please."

"Matchmaking." The smile disappeared from Robyn's face. "I'm really not sure I'm the best person to ask about that either."

"But you do have a boyfriend," said Lily.

"Not anymore," sighed Robyn.

Lily was confused. "But I saw you and Lofty in the cubicle together."

Robyn shook her head. "Oh, no, me and Lofty aren't a couple. He was just comforting me. Because my love life is such a complete and total mess."

Lily wondered what she should say. She had a feeling that the socially correct response was to invite Robyn to talk about it, but time was already short.

Robyn, however, seldom needed an invitation. "You know Ashley, the student who's working with Zoe?"

"I know," said Lily, unable to keep her distaste from showing in her voice. "I have been deeply unimpressed by Ashley's contribution to the ED. His knowledge of biology seems severely limited. His eye contact is particularly poor. He seems to believe that my eyes are located in my chest."

"Yeah, he was the same with my chest, to be honest," said Robyn. "But he was so sweet. He said he couldn't stand skinny girls and he thought red hair was beautiful. He said he liked my eyes too, though on second thoughts maybe he meant my boobs."

"What happened?" said Lily, quite shocked to discover she was actually slightly curious.

"It turns out I'm not his only girlfriend," said Robyn with a sigh. "There's this girl in haematology, who by the way is _not_ a redhead, and she met this girl she knows slightly from rheumatology, who by the way is _very_ skinny. They had a coffee together and they were both talking about their new boyfriends. They thought it was really funny that they both had a new boyfriend called Ashley. But when it turned out they were both students at the same university and they were both on placement in the ED, they began to get suspicious. So they decided to come over to the ED to check there wasn't some really funny coincidence." Robyn gave an unconvincing laugh. "It turns out he was seeing four other girls. I was quite upset about it and Lofty gave me a hug."

Lily wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. She patted Robyn on the shoulder twice.

"I'm okay now," said Robyn. "To be honest, I wasn't that into him. He fancies himself more than I fancy him so I was quite looking forward to him leaving. But I did feel really stupid. I just keep imagining him laughing at me."

Lily tried to think of something helpful to say, "Perhaps you should imagine him in his underwear."

Robyn looked startled.

"I thought that was supposed to help," said Lily, uncomfortably aware that she seemed to have got it wrong again. "No, on second thoughts, perhaps that is just job interviews."

But then Robyn smiled. "No, it's a brilliant idea! And I'll imagine him with a really tiny willy."

Lily nodded, pleased her idea seemed to have helped, but she wasn't here to discuss genitals. "About the matchmaking?" she said.

"Oh right, yeah," said Robyn. "Who's the guy?"

"Ethan," said Lily.

Robyn squealed with delight. "You and Ethan? Seriously? I've been waiting for this for _years!_"

"No, not _me_ and Ethan," said Lily icily. "I mean _Sophie_ and Ethan."

She was half-expecting Robyn to object on the grounds that Sophie already had a boyfriend, but instead she grasped Lily's arm. "Oh my God, those two are just so perfect together – even more perfect than _you_ and Ethan - but I don't see how we're going to get Cal out of the way. I don't think he's serious about her or anything, but we might need Mrs Beauchamp to surgically detach them."

"I'm sure Cal can find another girl to soothe his hurt pride," said Lily dismissively. "But regardless of his feelings, if Sophie likes Ethan, I don't see how she can be with Cal."

Robyn nodded in agreement. "If Cal likes her, he's going to end up hurt whatever happens. But if we leave things as they are, Sophie and Ethan will both end up with broken hearts."

"Exactly!" said Lily, relieved her ideas on matchmaking weren't completely wide of the mark.

"So do you have any ideas?" said Robyn.

"I thought perhaps we could get a lot of people together in… a relaxed setting," said Lily vaguely.

"You mean like a party?" said Robyn.

Lily considered for a moment and then nodded, trying not to grimace. She wasn't fond of parties and neither was Ethan, but if Sophie didn't like them either, perhaps they'd naturally gravitate towards one another. And then Lily could find an excuse to leave. "Yes," she said. "A party."

Robyn gave her a slightly worried look. "We don't have to invite Ashley, do we?"

"Of course not," said Lily. "We won't invite any of the students. But Sophie will come with Cal, of course. Though she won't _leave_ with Cal."

Robyn looked at Lily as though she'd never seen her before.

Lily began to feel uncomfortable. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, sorry: I didn't mean to stare. I just didn't think you were the party type," admitted Robyn. "Or the matchmaking type."

"I'm not," said Lily. "But Sophie and Ethan are my friends, so I'm prepared to sacrifice my time and a few brain cells in order to make them happy."

Robyn's face softened. "You really care about them, don't you?"

"I like things to be in their proper place," said Lily after a moment or two. "Sophie's proper place is not in Caleb Knight's arms."

Robyn sighed. "I just wish I could find my proper place."

"You were there this afternoon," said Lily. "In the cubicle."

Robyn looked aghast. "My proper place is in a _cubicle_? I mean, yeah, I love my job and everything, but I really don't think-"

"No, I mean with Lofty," said Lily. "Now I really must go." Another minute and she'd be matchmaking for the whole department, and that didn't go with Lily Chao's self-image at all.


	30. Chapter 30

**ETWentHome**, haha I'm glad you finished the chapter too! And it's really good to know the jokes are working. Luckily, Lily doesn't want to marry Ethan in this story because that really would have made things complicated! Thank you for your review.

**Tato Potato**, aw thank you! I'm glad you like Lily's matchmaking - I was worried as it's a bit out of character - and I'm happy you care which brother Sophie ends up with. I think everyone agrees that Sophie will be better off with Ethan! Thank you for the review.

**Tanith Panic**, thank you so much. I'm really happy you enjoyed it. I take it as a compliment that you care enough to have an opinion. I think there's only one person who wants Sophie to end up with Cal - and that's Cal! I'm glad you like fun-Lily. Thank you for the review.

**theverystuffoflife**, sometimes the puns just come into my head, but others take time! The blood one was quite easy, but I'm trying to write another scene like that now and I'm really struggling. I'm really happy you liked the scene with Lily and Robyn - I thought the idea of Lily matchmaking and planning a party might be a step too far, so it's really good (and a great relief) to know it worked. Thank you so much for your review.

* * *

Cal wasn't pleased when Robyn called his name. He'd finally got Sophie to himself and he didn't want anyone to interrupt them. "We're on a break, Robyn," he said pointedly and carried on walking, his arm firmly around Sophie.

"I was wondering if you two were up for a party at my place tonight," said Robyn.

Cal immediately forgave her for interrupting him. He did have his plans to cook Sophie dinner, but considering Ethan's reaction earlier, he didn't think much of his chances of getting his little brother out of the house. He'd already come to the conclusion it might be better for him and Sophie to go somewhere else tonight and then have their special dinner tomorrow, before she left.

Before she left… Cal really didn't like thinking about that.

Their relationship would continue, of course. He'd already decided that. But it would be… different… not seeing her every day at work. Not spending all his breaks with her. Not looking round, hoping for a glimpse of her every time he left Resus or a cubicle.

"A party sounds great!" he said. "Who else is coming?"

"Probably not that many," said Robyn. "Max and Lofty, obviously. Zoe, if Max can persuade her. Lily and Ethan. Some of the other nurses."

"Lily and Ethan?" echoed Cal. "At a party? I'm not sure I want to go to the kind of party they'd want to be at."

Robyn looked a bit worried. "Oh no, it is going to be a proper party. There's going to be beer and music. Maybe a few embarrassing games..."

Cal started to feel slightly more interested. "Ethan playing embarrassing games? All right, I'm in."

"Are Ashley and Amber coming?" asked Sophie a bit nervously.

"No way!" said Robyn. "I mean, no offence if they're your mates, Sophie, but Ashley was seeing four other girls behind my back and Amber's been driving me mad all week. She keeps offering to give me makeovers and diet tips. I saw some kid projectile-vomit on her today and I know this sounds awful, but I was actually almost slightly not completely sorry for her."

There was the hint of a sparkle in Sophie's eyes. "I'd love to come," she said. "Thank you for asking me."

"And me," said Cal. He turned Sophie to face him and bent to brush her lips with his. "I could be wrong, but I've got a feeling I'm going to enjoy myself."

To his amazement, Robyn sounded almost sympathetic. "Everyone's wrong sometimes, Cal. Even you."

She walked away, leaving Cal staring after her.

"What's wrong with her?" said Cal.

"Maybe she's upset because she was wrong about Ashley," suggested Sophie. She looked confused. "Though I thought Robyn was with Lofty. I'm sure I saw them hugging earlier."

"No, they're just hug-buddies," said Cal, and felt quite sad when he saw the disappointed look on Sophie's face. "For now anyway. They'll both be at the party tonight and as long as there's alcohol, anything can happen."

"Anything?" said Sophie a bit worriedly.

"Perhaps not quite anything," Cal said regretfully. "But it won't be for a want of trying on my part!"

* * *

Ethan smiled proudly as Sophie examined the ECG. She'd not only worked the machine by herself, she'd also interpreted the results correctly. "Would you like to give Naomi the results or shall I?"

"Well…. the results aren't really good news," said Sophie. "So it might be better coming from the proper doctor."

"Yes, that's true," said Ethan. "You're right. Not that there's anything improper about you."

Sophie laughed. "That's what Cal says. I think I'm a bit if a disappointment."

Ethan found he couldn't look away from her. "I don't see how any man could find you a disappointment." For a mmoment, he was lost in Sophie's eyes, but then he cleared his throat and returned to the original subject, trying to sound professional. "But next time we have good news to deliver, I'll leave it up to you."

They smiled at one another and Ethan felt his heart doing strange things that almost made him think he needed a referral to cardiology as well.

"Hi, Lily," said Sophie as she saw her new friend coming towards them.

"Hi, Sophie." Lily smiled at her.

Ethan wondered if he needed a referral to psychology as well as cardiology. Was he seeing things or had Lily really just smiled?

"I was wondering if you and Dr Hardy might be able to give me a second opinion," said Lily. "I have a patient with a number of symptoms, but I've run various tests and nothing is showing up."

"Yes, of course we'd be happy to help if we can," said Ethan. "But we're actually with a patient at the moment."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Who? The invisible man?"

Sophie giggled. "I don't know about the invisible man, but there are certainly aliens present. Who are you and when are you bringing the real Lily back? The real Lily does not make jokes."

Lily shrugged. "It is good to try new things occasionally. For example, I am going to Robyn's party tonight. Are you going?"

"No, I wouldn't have thought so," said Ethan, rather shocked to hear Lily refer to a social occasion in the middle of a discussion about a patient.

"You must come, Ethan," Lily said, much to his surprise. "Who will talk to me if you're not there? Sophie will be with Cal, of course."

Ethan nodded sadly. That was exactly the reason why he didn't want to go.

"Oh, please come, Ethan," said Sophie softly. "I'm going to miss you so much when I leave."

Her eyes were large and appealing. Ethan felt as though he was drowning in them. He was certainly struggling to breathe. "Then of course I'll be there."

"Excellent!" said Lily. "When you have finished with your invisible patient, perhaps you could come and find me in Cubicle 4."

* * *

Cal knew it was a bit of a risk. Doctors were discouraged from leaving the premises during their breaks and technically, this wasn't even Cal's break because he'd already had it.

There was, of course, a very good chance he'd get away with it. As doctors spent so much time in cubicles with the curtains drawn around them, it was very difficult to be sure if a particular doctor was in the ED or not, at least not without disturbing all the patients. It would probably only be a problem if Cal had a ridiculously low patient turnover (which was never going to happen) or if someone who knew he'd already had his break saw him exiting or re-entering the building.

Even if he was spotted by someone who knew this was his second break of the afternoon, he wouldn't necessarily get into trouble. Dylan wouldn't be interested enough to bother reporting him. Zoe would say a few sharp words, but she was a romantic at heart and she'd turn to mush if Cal told her he was going to buy Sophie a present.

Connie, Charlie, Ethan, Lily and Rita were the only ones he was really worried about, though there was a rumour going round that Lily was in quite a good mood (apparently, someone had seen her smile, though Cal was inclined to doubt it) and although Rita could be very strict, Cal had a feeling she was a secret romantic too.

He did have one present for Sophie already, of course, but the more he thought about it, the less romantic it seemed. A chick lit romantic novel had seemed ideal for a girl who had just fainted at work and needed to get lots of rest while Cal cooked the dinner, but Cal didn't think it would carry much weight when it came to proving that he wanted their relationship to continue once her placement was over.

Besides, he'd asked Sophie about her reading tastes when he was having his official break and she'd said she liked the classics. Cal had a feeling _Bikini Babes_ by Karli Strumpet (it was something like that anyway) probably didn't qualify.

* * *

Ethan and Sophie sent their concerned patient on her way with a referral to cardiology and as much reassurance as they could offer, then they went to Cubicle 4 to find Lily.

"I'm sorry we were so long," said Ethan. "We had some bad news to deliver and we couldn't hurry." He looked at the patient.

She was smiling at him. "Hi, Dr Hardy. Hi, Sophie."

Ethan looked at the patient in confusion. "I'm sorry... I don't think I..."

Sophie gave the patient an apologetic look. "Dr Hardy, this is Lauren Reece. She-"

"Oh, of course!" Ethan recognised the name at once. "I'm so sorry. You fainted during a meeting with your little boy's headmistress on Wednesday."

Sophie smiled. "I would say it's nice to see you again, Lauren, but that's not really a compliment when you're in hospital."

"Mrs Reece fainted again while supporting her son at a school football match," said Lily. "She saw the school nurse who was concerned by her pulse rate and decided to send her to hospital. Mrs Reece's blood pressure is within the normal range, but her pulse was 120 and has only fallen to 115 now."

Ethan nodded thoughtfully. "Have you run an ECG?"

"Yes: nothing showed up," said Lily. "I have also tested for diabetes and anaemia. Mrs Reece says a pregnancy test is unnecessary."

Ethan ran his mind through the other possibilities. Perhaps it was the thyroid.

"Have you checked the thyroid levels?" asked Sophie.

Ethan opened his mouth to say 'great minds think alike', but then he changed his mind. Sophie had spoken first so she should have the credit.

Lily was shaking her head. "Mrs Reece's symptoms are not consistent with hypothyroidism. She has experienced no weight gain: she's actually lost weight; she has not mentioned any muscular weakness; she is not depressed; she says her periods have always been light."

"I wasn't really thinking of hypothyroidism," said Sophie. "I don't suppose I could borrow a sheet of A4?"

"Don't you have your notebook?" asked Lily quite sharply, but then she spoke more gently. "You can borrow mine."

"Thank you, Lily, but I need something bigger."

Ethan knew what Sophie needed and decided to help. "Could you give Sophie some paper from the file, please, Lily?"

Lily looked uncertain, but after a pleading look from Ethan, she handed her a page of ECG results.

"Thank you, Lily," said Sophie. "Lauren, I'm afraid this will seem very odd, but would you mind holding out your hands, palms downwards for me? Thank you."

Lauren held out her hands and Sophie put the piece of paper on top of them. They watched the paper move and heard it crinkle as Lauren's hands shook considerably.

"I think Lauren might be suffering from hyperthyroidism," said Sophie. "The hand tremors are one symptom. Light periods are another, as is weight loss. And you mentioned last time, Lauren, that you have been diagnosed with IBS. The digestive issues might or might not actually be a symptom of hyperthyroidism. Would you say you feel tired a lot?"

"All the time," said Lauren; "but I do have a little boy."

"That is a reason for fatigue, but it's not necessarily the cause," said Sophie. "And I don't want to embarrass you, but if the reason why you're sure you're not pregnant is because of a loss of libido, that could be another symptom."

Lauren did look a little embarrassed, but she nodded. "That's why. I thought I was just tired."

"That's the trouble with medicine," said Sophie. "The same symptoms can mean a million different things. But I hope Dr Chao will agree with me it's worth checking your thyroid levels."

Lily was looking at Sophie in amazement. "Yes, it is worth checking. Thank you for your help, Sophie."

"I only spotted it because a girl I was at school with used to have hyperthyroidism," said Sophie. "She wanted to be a phlebotomist, but her hands were too shaky. But she was fine after treatment and you'll be fine too, Lauren, if we're right about this."

"Even so, you did well," said Lily. She looked almost shy. "Sophie. Would you consider taking the bloods for me?"

"Of course I will," said Sophie softly. "If you trust me."

"Completely," said Lily.


	31. Chapter 31

**AVMabs**, it does sound dramatic, but it's actually an eighth more than I've got! Thank you so much for saying I write Lily well. She is difficult to write, especially now she's turned into a slightly different version of herself so it means a lot that you like what I'm doing with her. Thank you for your review.

**ETWentHome**, I'm really enjoying writing Lily's friendship with Sophie. That wasn't in my original plan for the story, but CasualtyFanForever81 asked for more Lily and I'm very grateful for the suggestion it's made the story into a bit more than a love triangle. Thank you for your review!

**Tato Potato**, thank you for your review. As I said above, Lily's storyline was a fairly late addition and it's one I've really enjoyed writing - it's really good to know that you're enjoying it. There's more of Lily and Sophie's friendship in this chapter - I hope you like it.

**Tanith Panic**, I completely agree about Robyn - she's absolutely gorgeous! I get the feeling Lofty is very good at hugs and I would absolutely love to have the opportunity to find out if I'm right. Thank you for your review - I'm really happy you're enjoying it.

**CasualtyFanForever81**, thank you for your review. I'm really happy you like the friendship between Lily and Sophie. Thank you again for asking me to include more Lily in the story - I think it's made it a lot more interesting and I've really enjoyed writing about her.

**TimeLadyOdair**, welcome back - I've missed you! I hope you had a good holiday and I'm looking forward to reading your next chapter. Thank you for your review - I really am happy you've enjoyed the new chapters and I hope you enjoy this one too.

* * *

Cal put his arms around Sophie and smiled down at her. "How was your day, beautiful?" _Your last day,_ he added silently, but he didn't say it. He didn't want to think about it and he hoped Sophie didn't either. They would have to talk about it at some point, but not yet. Not in the middle of the staff room.

"It was good," said Sophie, and smiled at him, but it was a sad smile.

"It was more than good," said Lily, quite severely.

"I'm sure it was," said Cal, and kissed Sophie lightly. "So what miracles did you work this time, Dr Matthews?"

Sophie gave him a reproachful look. "I'm not a doctor yet. And we don't know I ever will be."

"Of course you will," said Cal, and kissed her. "Don't you think so, Lily?"

"It is impossible to predict what will happen," said Lily. "But I will be very surprised and shocked if you don't, Sophie."

Cal smiled at Sophie. "I'll be very shocked too and I'll personally demand that your papers are remarked. So what did you do today that impressed even Lily?"

"I took some bloods," said Sophie.

"Well done, baby," said Cal proudly. He knew that taking bloods for Lily would have been a daunting experience despite their newfound friendship.

Lily gave Sophie an exasperated look and came to stand beside her. "Sophie didn't just take bloods. She made an important diagnosis. I was unable to discover the cause of a patient's symptoms and asked Dr Hardy for assistance. He said nothing helpful, but Sophie advised me to check the patient's thyroid levels. She suspected hyperthyroidism and was correct."

Cal kissed Sophie again. "Well done. I think you might be the cleverest girlfriend I've ever had." He stroked her face and looked into her eyes. "And the most beautiful. And the most…" His next words came out as a sigh. "The most _everything_."

Lily gave a kind of choked gasp and turned away.

"Lily, we only went out once!" said Cal. "You were hardly my girlfriend."

"I wasn't thinking about _that_," said Lily cuttingly. "I'd actually forgotten all about it."

Cal shrugged. "So had I till this minute." He turned back to Sophie. "It's over between me and Lily," he assured her. "It was over a long time ago. Pretty much before it started. Lily preferred Ethan to me."

"I see," said Sophie, but she looked upset.

Cal really wished he hadn't mentioned it. "I promise you, Sophie. You have no reason to worry about other girls."

"I know," said Sophie awkwardly. "I'm not worried."

Cal looked into her eyes. "The only girl I'm thinking about is you. I hope you can believe that because it's true." He kissed her again.

"Dr Knight, I don't think this is quite appropriate for the staff room," said Lily.

Cal looked her in annoyance. Why was she suddenly getting jealous now? He'd had loads of girlfriends since Lily and she hadn't seemed to care at all. Maybe Sophie had been telling Lily how amazing he was or something. "Come on, Sophie. We'll continue our discussion in your hotel room."

"Sorry, Cal: I can't," said Sophie. "I'm going shopping with Lily."

"Shopping?" said Cal, disappointed. "What do you need to go shopping for?"

"Clothes," said Sophie. "Lily says she has nothing suitable for a party and one of the patients told me today that there's a sale on at one of my favourite shops. So I thought I'd buy myself something too as a reward for completing my placement."

Cal sighed. If there was one thing he'd learned from his extensive dating experience, it was that it wasn't a good idea to come between a woman and her shopping trips. "How about we meet for dinner afterwards?"

"I'm having dinner with Lily," said Sophie, and kissed Cal on the cheek. "We'll see you at the party."

He echoed her words gloomily. "See you at the party."

* * *

Lily looked at the dress Sophie was holding and shook her head. "No. I couldn't wear that."

"Why not?" said Sophie. "I think the colour would really suit you. Your hair's so dark and I think black and royal blue is a stunning combination."

"But it's short," said Lily uncomfortably. "It's tight. The neckline is low."

Sophie looked like she was trying to understand. "Would that make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Extremely uncomfortable," said Lily firmly. "I couldn't possibly dress like that. It's unprofessional."

Sophie seemed confused. "But you won't be wearing it to work."

"It's a work party," said Lily. "With work people. I have to seem professional. But I would not dress like that for any occasion."

Sophie held the dress up against Lily and gestured towards the mirror. "But don't you think it would look lovely on you?"

Lily reluctantly looked into the mirror. She had to admit she did love the colour. It was a rich, deep, vivid blue, the colour of… well, not the colour of anything Lily could think of.

"You could wear black tights with it," said Sophie. "Then it would be less revealing. And maybe we could find a shrug or something to go over the top. Either in the same blue… or perhaps purple."

"It will still be too tight," said Lily, pulling at the dress self-consciously.

Sophie tilted her head to one side, regarding first Lily, then her reflection. "I suppose you could always try the size larger. That shouldn't cling as much. But there's really no need. You've got a lovely figure, Lily. You don't need to be embarrassed about letting people see that."

Lily looked at her reflection for a couple more seconds. Then she shook her head and walked back towards the place where Sophie had found it.

Sophie looked disappointed. "You're not putting it back, are you?"

"Yes," said Lily. "I can't possibly wear something as tight as that."

"Okay," said Sophie quietly.

"But I will try the size larger," said Lily.

* * *

Ethan could tell his brother was nervous. Cal was sitting at the table, completely ignoring the meal Ethan had cooked for him, one hand fiddling with a plastic bag which had the name of a well-known jewellery shop on it.

Ethan didn't even want to think about what might be in that bag, but it was fair to assume it was for Sophie.

Cal didn't say a word, but he couldn't stop fidgeting. He opened the bag a couple of times and looked inside. Then Ethan heard the rhythmic tapping of Cal's foot against the table leg. Cal picked up his fork and Ethan began to hope that he might finally eat something, but all he did was push the food around his plate and then put the fork down again.

"Caleb, what's wrong?" Ethan finally said after Cal had relinquished his fork for the fifth time.

"Nothing!" said Cal unconvincingly, only to ask almost straight away: "You know Sophie, don't you?"

"I would hope so, considering we've been working together for the past three days," said Ethan. His heart began to pound. He tried to ignore it. He wanted Sophie to be happy. So if Cal was serious about her, that could only be a good thing.

Cal reached into the bag and brought out a box. "Do you think she'd like this?"

Ethan noticed with relief that it was far too large to contain a ring – not that Cal was known for actually _paying_ for engagement rings. He took the box from Cal and tried to open it.

"Other side, Ethan," said Cal impatiently.

Ethan turned it around, but he couldn't open it that way either.

"Oh, give it here," said Cal. He took the box from Ethan and pulled at it, but to no avail.

Ethan spoke hesitantly. "I really do think it's the other side."

Cal imitated his voice. "I really do think you have no idea what you're talking about." He carried on trying to open the box, but eventually gave up and put it down on the table. "I'll leave it for Sophie. There's probably some feminine knack to it."

Ethan picked up the box idly and tried to open it again.

"I told you, Ethan!" said Cal. "That's the wrong-"

He stopped as the box opened. Ethan suppressed a smile and looked into the box.

After that, he had no trouble stopping himself from smiling. "Caleb, how much did this cost?"

"Don't worry about that," said Cal. "Just tell me what do you think. Do you think Sophie will like it?"

Ethan was shocked by how tempted he was to say no. "I think she'll love it," he said sadly.

There was a silence, then Cal touched Ethan's shoulder. "Ethan… I never wanted this to happen. I do want you to be happy."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything," said Ethan. He was trying to speak calmly, but he didn't come close to managing it.

Cal's face was sympathetic. "I know you really like her, mate, and I can understand why because I really like her too. I suppose I could break up with her just to make you feel better, but-"

"Don't you even think about breaking up with her!" Ethan interrupted hotly. "I'm serious, Caleb. If you hurt her…"

"I'm not going to hurt her," said Cal. "That's the last thing I want. Breaking up with her would hurt her and me and it sounds like it wouldn't make you happy either."

"No, it definitely wouldn't make me happy if you hurt my… my friend!" said Ethan. His voice wobbled and he quickly got to his feet.

"Ethan…" Cal looked genuinely worried. "You really care about her a lot, don't you?"

Ethan wanted to deny it, but he knew that if he spoke, his voice would quiver again and give him away.

"So where does Lily fit into this?" Cal sounded confused.

Ethan swallowed hard. "Lily and I are just friends. She's been… supportive."

Cal looked as though he believed him. He touched Ethan's hand. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"You haven't!" Ethan pulled his hand away. "Why should it matter to me if you go out with the student I was mentoring? I'm going to get changed." He went off to his room and shut the door.

He hadn't planned on getting changed. He thought his shirt and trousers were perfectly adequate and he'd barely worn them so they wouldn't be sweaty. But he'd told Cal he was getting changed so he thought he better had.

Ethan went to his wardrobe and opened it. His shirts hung neatly in a line, but Ethan couldn't see them. Not when his eyes were so full of tears.

* * *

Lily and Sophie found a table for two in a café. There was barely room underneath it for all their shopping bags – Lily had shocked herself by buying several new outfits – but she didn't mind. She couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself so much. Perhaps she never had.

She knew, of course, that girls liked to go on shopping sprees with their friends, but Lily had never really experienced it before. She had spent her whole life working hard and there had been little time to spare for relaxing. Becoming a doctor meant a lot of hard work and dedication and Lily had spent almost all her time studying or sleeping.

Even now she'd qualified, she hardly allowed herself time to relax because although she was now a doctor, she still had a long way to go. She wished to become a consultant eventually. She had a lot to learn and she spent a lot of time ensuring that she really had learned it.

She did go shopping sometimes, of course. She needed clothes. But she'd never been on a shopping spree like this one. She'd never really wanted to.

Even if she had wanted to, there would have been no-one to go with her.

But now the shopping spree was over and it was time to talk. There was something she needed to say and it had to be done before they arrived at the party. If anything, it was even more important now she'd had such a good time with Sophie. She liked her and she wanted her to be happy – and she wanted Ethan to be happy too.

"I think we should talk about Cal," said Lily.

The happy smile faded from Sophie's face. "What about Cal?" she asked guardedly.

"About his feelings for you," said Lily as gently as she could.


	32. Chapter 32

**ETWentHome**, and I can't reiterate enough how much I love that you love Lily and Sophie together! It really is so amazing that I've created a new character that people actually like. I had to put in some caring Cal! Thank you for your review.

**Tato Potato**, unless I do something really weird (which wouldn't be out of character for me), one of the brothers is going to end up unhappy! It really is lovely that you have a preference for one of them. Thank you for your review.

**CasualtyFanForever81**, thank you for your idea, which I'm saving for my (probably quite short) sequel. Thank you for your review as well - I'm really pleased you liked the chapter.

**Tanith Panic**, I'm glad you found Lily's shyness realistic - in lots of ways, she definitely isn't shy, but I can't imagine her dressing up very much (though she did look very lovely in last Saturday's episode). Thank you for your review.

**TimeLadyOdair**, thank you for your review. I'm enjoying writing about Lily and Sophie's friendship - it's not something I expected to happen! Poor Ethan... he's brilliant at talking to girls in a certain context, but in other contexts he's really kind of endearingly useless! Yes, whichever brother doesn't end up with Sophie will definitely need a hug! I hope you're feeling better now.

* * *

"Cal doesn't have any feelings for me," said Sophie. "It's just a bit of fun for him and that's fine. We'll have fun tonight – at the party, I mean - and then we won't see each other again. That's what we both want."

"Sophie, I…" Lily stopped, and Sophie stared at her.

"What's wrong, Lily?"

"I could be wrong," said Lily. "I don't know much about relationships. But…" Lily paused. She was not usually one to shy away from tough conversations. If something needed to be said, she said it.

But she'd had such a good time with Sophie today and this was not only potentially the last time she would see Ethan and Cal but the last time she would see Lily. Lily didn't want their friendship to end with an argument.

Then she told herself she was being ridiculous. If she cared about Sophie that much, then it was worth risking an argument to ensure that she – and Ethan – could be happy, and that Cal suffered as little as possible.

Lily lifted her head and looked Sophie squarely in the eye. "I saw the way Cal looked at you earlier. I think I was wrong. I think he really likes you."

"I…" Sophie broke the eye contact, looking down at her plate. "No. Of course he doesn't. I'm just a bit of fun to him. One in a very long line of bits of fun!"

"No. I don't think you are," said Lily. "I don't believe he intended it to be serious, but I think he really cares about you now." Some of her frustration spilled into her voice. "Sophie, haven't you seen the way he looks at you? Talks to you?"

"Yes, but he's only known me for a few days," said Sophie. "I thought it was all part of his seduction technique."

"A few days is long-term for Cal," said Lily. "He's been here for over a year and there aren't many girls who even get a second date. Besides… I don't know the answer to this, but perhaps you can tell me. Is it really impossible to love someone after three days?"

Sophie was silent for a long time. She didn't look at Lily, but many emotions passed over her face as she contemplated Lily's question. "No," she said at last. "It's not impossible." She lifted her head and looked desperately at Lily. "But Cal doesn't really love me! He can't!"

Lily considered her answer carefully. "I think his feelings for you are a lot stronger than your feelings for him."

Sophie's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't know. Please believe me, Lily. I thought it was just a bit of fun for him. I thought it could be fun for me too. I thought he would distract me from how much I like Ethan."

"Sophie, don't cry." Lily reached across the table and touched her wrist. "I know you didn't want to hurt anyone."

"But it didn't work," said Sophie as a tear ran down her cheek. "I still love Ethan and I'm never going to see him again." She put her hands over her face. "And I'm going to break Cal's heart too."

Lily froze slightly. They were in the middle of a public café. Or perhaps not in the middle: they were in a quiet corner, but anyone who looked their way would see that Sophie was crying. "Sophie, you mustn't… please stop…"

Then she realised the venue didn't matter. Only her friend mattered. Lily had been unable to stop crying earlier when she had been in so much pain. Why was it different now just because there was no physical injury?

Lily moved her chair around to Sophie's side of the table and put her arm around her. "You don't know that you'll never see Ethan again."

"But when would I see him?" said Sophie. "I have no reason to come back to Holby. I can't just walk into the ED whenever I feel like it."

"I hope…" Lily dropped her head a bit shyly. "I hope that sometimes you'll come to see me."

Sophie looked up. There were tears on her face, but she was smiling. "I'd love to, Lily. And not just because I might see Ethan. Because I'd like to see _you_."

The jolt of pleasure that Lily felt at Sophie's words surprised her. "Then we must exchange phone numbers and contact details," she said. "You can come and see me and we'll invite Ethan and he can tell you how happy Cal is without you."

Sophie laughed through her tears. "Oh, I hope so, Lily." She wiped her eyes and gave Lily her phone.

Lily put her number in. "Can I have yours now?"

"Oh, I don't know it," said Sophie. "But that's okay." She clicked to dial Lily's number and the sound of Lily's ringtone filled the café. "Now you have my number."

Lily also had a number of annoyed looks from the diners around them, but she decided it didn't matter. She saved Sophie's number in her phone. "Sophie, I would like to arrange another shopping trip very soon."

"So would I," said Sophie. "We can buy underwear next time."

"Underwear?" said Lily in a hushed voice. Had Sophie really mentioned underwear in public?

"Sorry," said Sophie. "Did I catch you under-wares?"

"Do you know something?" said Lily. "You and Ethan deserve each other."

Sophie laughed. "I know you meant that in a good way, so thank you."

"Now, I want you to promise me something, Sophie," said Lily. "Promise me you will speak to Cal and Ethan at the party. Tell Cal it's over. Tell Ethan you like him. Or at least ensure that you and Ethan will stay in touch as friends."

* * *

"Ethan! Are you coming or not?"

Ethan put his glasses on and had another look in the mirror. He thought his eyes looked a little bit red, but perhaps no-one would look too closely. He did tend to be completely ignored at parties so perhaps no-one would look at him at all.

Cal banged on the door. "Ethan? Are you okay?"

Ethan took a couple of breaths and opened the door. "Sorry. I'm ready now."

Cal looked at him and frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" said Ethan, a bit defensively.

"For a start, you don't usually spend that long in the bathroom and you wouldn't usually bother to change your clothes just because I'm dragging you to a party," said Cal.

Ethan shrugged. "My clothes were a bit dirty."

Cal said nothing then, but in the car park, he stopped suddenly and turned to face Ethan. "Listen, Ethan. Are you sure you want to come? I mean, parties aren't your thing anyway and if being there with… with certain people is going to upset you, why torture yourself?"

Ethan sighed. He didn't have the energy to be annoyed. "I think Lily will kill me if I don't go to this party. She says if I don't go, she'll have no-one to talk to."

"That's another thing that doesn't make sense," said Cal. "Why is Lily going to the party when she hates parties?"

"I... I don't know," admitted Ethan.

* * *

Lily tried to convince herself she wasn't nervous. It was only a party and she was only wearing a dress. That she didn't usually attend parties and didn't usually dress like this were irrelevant. Sophie was wearing a dress too and Ethan was always smartly-dressed so it wasn't as though Lily would be the only one.

"Are you okay?" asked Sophie.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Lily. "I am just… unused to parties." She paused. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," said Sophie. "But I do feel really awful about Cal. And nervous about seeing Ethan."

Lily put her arm around Sophie's shoulders. It felt very uncomfortable, especially as Sophie was taller than she was, but she didn't think she could really take her arm away. "The situation with Cal is not your fault. You made it clear to Cal that you weren't looking for anything serious and he agreed to that. And you have no reason to be concerned about seeing Ethan. He will always be happy to see you." She lifted her hand to ring the bell. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

Lily wasn't anything like ready, but she rang the bell anyway and Robyn answered.

"Hey!" said Robyn. "Glad you could make it. Oh my God: you two look gorgeous! I'm not sure I've ever seen you in a dress before, Lily."

"You look beautiful too, Robyn," Sophie told her with apparent sincerity and gave her a hug. "Oh, we bought you and Lofty a present. It's nothing much: just a box of chocolates."

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" said Robyn.

Lily frowned slightly. She had been told that phrase wasn't offensive, but it always seemed that way to her.

"But I'm glad you did!" Robyn said with a giggle. "Thanks, both of you. Go on through."

* * *

Ethan didn't want to get out of the car. He got nervous enough about parties anyway, but the fact this would probably be his last chance to speak properly to Sophie made it even worse.

He didn't doubt that he'd see Sophie again. She would probably come and stay with Cal all the time. In the same room. In the same bed. Doing…

"Ethan?" Cal sounded alarmed. "Are you okay? You're not going to be sick in my car, are you?"

Ethan shook his head and got out.

If Cal and Sophie were going to have a long-term relationship, he would just have to get used to seeing them together and knowing he had no reason to go over and chat to her about new research theories or cookery courses or just the random rubbish they spurted sometimes which always made Ethan feel so happy. After today, he wouldn't be Sophie's mentor. He would just be her boyfriend's geeky younger brother who was insanely in love with her.

"What's up?" Cal had come round to his side of the car.

"I'm fine," said Ethan. "I just don't like parties. You know that."

Cal said no more, but Ethan knew he wasn't convinced.

* * *

"There you are!" said Robyn happily when she opened the door. "You boys just wait till you see Sophie. She looks gorgeous! So does Lily."

"Sophie always looks gorgeous," said Cal with a fond smile.

Ethan could only agree, though he kept this thought to himself. They went into the living room, where Cal drew attention to himself by shouting across the room to Sophie.

"You look beautiful!" he said and held out his arms.

Sophie looked very embarrassed and Ethan felt for her. He offered her a sympathetic smile, which seemed to help. She went quickly over to Cal, who hugged and kissed her as though they'd been parted for days.

Ethan sighed to himself.

Cal was kissing her as though he loved her.

And that was probably because he did.


	33. Chapter 33

**ETWentHome**, thank you for your review. I do feel a bit guilty about breaking Cal's heart again, so maybe I should break Ethan's instead! What do you think?

**Tato Potato**, Ethan does deserve to be happy! Though I'd like to think Cal does as well. Maybe cloning is the answer. Thank you for your review!

**Tanith Panic**, thank you for writing my 100th review of Triangle! I'm glad you like the Lily moments. I remember the first time someone said 'oh you shouldn't have' to me - I was only little and I thought I'd done something really awful! Yes, I think someone will end up heartbroken. I think I've kind of written myself into a corner there!

* * *

Cal held Sophie in his arms and tried to remember when he'd last felt this happy. Probably the last time he'd been in love, but Cal knew things would be different this time. He knew Sophie cared about him. And even if she didn't, she wasn't the type to want his money.

"Do you think fifteen pounds will be enough?" said Sophie.

Cal froze. "What the hell do you want fifteen thousand pounds for?"

"No, not fifteen thousand pounds!" said Sophie. "Only fifteen. I'm just wondering if I've got quite enough money for the taxi fare back to the hotel. It'll probably be double after midnight."

"No. I'll take care of that," said Cal. "I'm seeing you back to your hotel, even if you don't let me in." He stepped closer. "But if you do let me in, we don't have to do anything. We could just go to sleep in each other's arms."

Sophie smiled faintly. "I bet you use that line a lot."

"No! Well, yes… but it isn't a line with you," said Cal. "I do mean it."

"I expect you've said that before too."

Cal shifted uncomfortably. "Possibly. But it is different with you. Completely different." He looked around warily. He hadn't meant to do this in the middle of the party. He'd actually left the necklace in the car… which was a bit stupid, now he thought about it, as he was leaving the car for Ethan. "This won't be the last time you see me, Sophie." He gave her a charming smile. "I mean, as long as you want to keep seeing me."

It was a joke of course. He'd had slight doubts, but Lofty had reassured him.

The thought still made him smile. Imagine Caleb Knight going to Lofty for advice on women!

"But I… I mean… this isn't serious, is it?" Sophie's voice was higher than usual.

"I've never been more serious about anyone," said Cal.

"Even if that's true, it's probably not saying much," said Sophie.

Cal flinched slightly, but tried to smile. The trouble with a reputation like his was that it preceded him. Sophie had probably had the whole department trying to warn her off Cal. "Sophie, of course I'm serious about you!" Cal stroked her face. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. You're just… you're everything. You're beautiful and intelligent and sweet and funny and warm and loving and _very_ hot."

"I thought you didn't think my jokes were funny," said Sophie in an odd voice.

Cal decided this was one of the occasions when it was acceptable to lie to your girlfriend. "Of course I do." Cal leaned in and kissed her. He kept one hand on her cheek and wrapped the other tightly around her waist. He heard a few whistles from people around them, but then he heard nothing. Nothing at all.

* * *

Ethan couldn't bear it for a moment longer. He was in the middle of a conversation with Lily and it would be rude to leave, but he knew she would understand. She knew how he felt about Sophie.

He felt Lily's hand on his arm. "Ethan, don't look at them."

"I'm sorry. I've got to go." Ethan got to his feet and stumbled out of the room. He breathed deeply, realising how airless the party had been, but the oxygen didn't improve his mood. The way he was feeling now, he'd almost have preferred it if there was no oxygen at all.

"Ethan!" Lily had followed him. She had an odd look on her face. "You can't leave. You mustn't."

"I think my heart's breaking," said Ethan, and his eyes filled with tears.

Lily glared at him. "I don't care if every bone in your body is breaking as well! You will not leave this party until I say."

* * *

Cal let go of Sophie and gazed into her eyes. "Do you really not get it?"

"Probably not," said Sophie. "I'm not very good at getting obvious things. When Lily was my mentor, she tried to get me to do obvious things and I got into a terrible mess. But when you asked me about obscure things, I found it much easier."

Cal smiled and kissed her. Maybe he did find her a little bit funny. "I love you, Sophie."

"I love you t… wait, hang on: what did you say?"

"I said I loved you," said Cal. He smiled. "So your reply was just right. Just carry on with that. Or on second thoughts start from the beginning and say it again."

"No, I wasn't replying!" said Sophie in a panic. "I was _reacting_. I wasn't thinking about what I was saying."

Cal kissed her. "Don't worry, baby. Your reaction was spot-on."

"But I don't… I mean… oh, Cal, you're such a lovely man. The very last thing I want to do is… but I don't."

"I do love you when you don't make sense," said Cal. "But on this occasion, I am getting a little bit worried."

Sophie looked sad. "Cal, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"You've got nothing to be-" Cal stopped. He looked at Sophie. He noticed the way her gaze went over his shoulder, towards the window. He saw her quickly look away as soon as she realised he'd noticed. He couldn't see the window: he had his back to it, but he knew who had been sitting there with Lily.

And Cal knew he couldn't hide from the truth anymore. "You don't love me, do you? You don't even like me that much."

"I do _like_ you," said Sophie.

"But not as a boyfriend."

Sophie looked nearly as upset as Cal was feeling. "I'm sorry, Cal. I never meant to hurt you. I did have a good time with you. I'm not just saying that. And I didn't want to hurt your pride by breaking up with you. I thought it was easier to let it run its course… I never realised... I really am so sorry."

Cal sighed. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. You did say from the start that you didn't want anything serious."

"I said I was getting over someone," said Sophie. "And I still am."

Cal looked at her in confusion. "You're still getting over… so you don't mean…" He half-turned towards the window as he spoke. Neither Ethan nor Lily was there.

Then he remembered what Sophie had said. The guy she was getting over had asked her out for a drink, but then he'd given her a big speech about how it wasn't appropriate to date people in your own workplace. All completely ridiculous, of course, but exactly the kind of thing Ethan might come up with.

"It's Ethan, isn't it?" said Cal painfully. "You're in love with my brother. He's the one you were trying to get over."

Sophie look wretched, but then she nodded. "Don't you ever wish we were in a story? Then we could just cut after you said that to sometime later when it doesn't hurt you as much?"

"But I'm fairly sure this is real life," said Cal. He held onto her hand tightly. He didn't ever want to let go, but he knew he had to. "So we don't get a cut. We've got to keep going…" His gaze was shooting around the room. "…and you're coming with me."

Sophie let go of his hand. "Where?"

"Just come with me," said Cal. His pleading gaze met resistance. "Please? I think even people who are condemned to die get one last request, though I'm not sure because I never really paid attention in the classes that you don't need for a medical degree. I know I'm not actually condemned to die; I just feel like it, but… sorry. I didn't really mean that. I'm fine. But please will you come with me, Sophie?"

"Okay," said Sophie. He took her hand again and she didn't object. As they crossed the room, Cal allowed himself to enjoy the feel of her hand in his. Her hand was small and soft. It made him feel stronger; as though there was a minuscule chance he might not break apart.

They left the living room and arrived in the hall, where Ethan and Lily were standing close together. Ethan looked like he had tears in his eyes. The fact he turned away as soon as he saw them did nothing to convince Cal that he was wrong.

It seemed as though he was right about everything at the moment.

He'd never realised how horrible being right could be.

He felt Sophie let go of his hand and quickly grasped her arm. He wasn't going to let her run away now. Cal had promised himself he would make Sophie happy and if she wanted Ethan, then she would have Ethan. Even if Cal had to capture them both and tie them to the same bed.

"Ethan, Sophie loves you," said Cal, and heard Sophie gasp in horror. "Sophie, Ethan loves you. Now sort it out, okay?"

* * *

Ethan was starting to wonder if this was really happening. He was inclined to think it wasn't. Nothing about this moment was believable. To begin with, he was at a party and he almost never went to parties. Secondly, Lily was at the party too and she went to parties even less often than Ethan. Thirdly, it looked like Cal was willingly handing over the girl he loved to Ethan (not forgetting it was out-of-character for Cal to be in love, so Ethan decided to stick that down as the fourth reason why this couldn't be happening) and fifthly (if that was even a word), Cal was saying that Sophie loved him too. Which was definitely impossible.

Ethan honestly thought there was more chance of Connie and Dylan walking in and doing a striptease, but he decided he really didn't want to think about that.

"I can see this has come as a bit of a shock to you," said Cal, "but can't you at least say something?"

Ethan heard the sarcasm in his voice, but then he looked into Cal's eyes. He was blinking hard and Ethan knew he wasn't giving Sophie to him because he didn't love her. He did love her. He loved her so much, he was willing to let her go. "I can't take your girlfriend, Cal."

"Why not?" said Cal. "I'd take yours."

"Then it seems a bit pointless my taking Sophie, doesn't it?" said Ethan. "If you're going to take her back again…"

"No… I wouldn't take Sophie from you. I'd never take Sophie from you." Cal rubbed his eye. "Sorry, my eye's itchy. They both are, actually."

Ethan saw Cal's tears threatening to overflow and quickly gave him a hug. "Cal, it's one of the kindest things you've ever done for me, but I can't do that to you. I just can't. I would never hurt you like that and I'd never be able to make Sophie happy like you could. I wouldn't know what to do. I can barely even kiss a girl without an instruction manual."

"But you're the one she loves," said Cal. "If a girl loves you, how am _I_ supposed to make her happy? I'm not nearly geeky and weird enough. She doesn't want me. She's yours, Ethan. She always has been."

"I couldn't," said Ethan. Cal had kept his voice steady, but Ethan could feel his shoulders shaking.

"Yes, you could."

"She's yours. I insist," said Ethan.

"No, she's yours. I insist more," said Cal.

Sophie stepped forward. "Hold on a minute. Maybe I'm getting this completely wrong. It doesn't sound, you know, sane or anything. But are you two fighting _not_ to be my boyfriend?"


	34. Chapter 34

**TheAtomicCheesepuff**, thank you for your review. Unfortunately, they can't all end up happy, but I will do my best for them! It is confusing for all of them - I just hope it's not confusing for the readers too!

**Tato Potato**, thank you so much for your review - it's very kind of you to say it's well-written. Let's hope they can stop fighting in this chapter and come to some sort of arrangement!

**Tanith Panic**, I like unselfish Cal too. I didn't want to make him into a villain and I wanted him to accept Sophie's feelings for Ethan, so it's lucky the Casualty writers gave Cal an unselfish side! Thank you for your review.

_This is the penultimate chapter of Triangle - I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

"It does kind of sound like that you're both pretty desperate to offload me," said Sophie. Her voice was shaking now, and Lily quickly moved to her side.

"I'm sure they don't mean that, Sophie."

"Of course I don't _want_ to offload you," said Cal.

"You're not even mine to offload," said Ethan.

Sophie gave a sob. "I always thought I'd like it if two men had a big fight over me. I never considered that it might be two men who didn't love me at all!"

Ethan let go of Cal. "Of course I love you, darling, but it's just a bit awkward considering the brotherly relationship."

"And you know I love you, Sophie," said Cal. "I just told you: remember? But that means I want you to be happy."

Sophie looked stunned. "Ethan, am I dreaming or did you just say you loved me?"

"Um… yes," said Ethan.

"Yes, I'm dreaming?"

"No, the other one!" burst out Lily impatiently.

"I love you too, Ethan," said Sophie.

"Sophie?" said Ethan. "Did you say…"

"Yes, I did say," said Sophie.

"Oh, Sophie…" Ethan had never felt so happy. He thought about how it felt to hold her in his arms. To kiss her on the cheek and the forehead. To think about kissing her in other places (by which he obviously meant her lips). To be with her and talk to her and laugh, and make puns about tea and condoms and the circulatory system.

Then he looked at Cal, who was trying to smile but actually looked completely distraught.

"I can't," said Ethan. "I do love you, Sophie, but I can't do that to Cal."

Lily raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Of course you can! Listen, there are only two ways we can work this out. Cal can't be with Sophie. She doesn't want him. So the only options are Ethan and Sophie getting together, which means Cal isn't very happy, or none of you getting together, which means none of you are happy."

For a moment, Sophie looked almost convinced. But then she shook her head. "I can't do that to Cal either."

"Oh for God's sake!" said Cal. "Are you two going to kiss or am I going to bash your heads together?"

"I think perhaps you should!" said Lily. "And I will help you."

Ethan turned towards Cal. "I don't want you to have your heart broken again."

"Don't worry about me!" said Cal. "I'll find another girl. I'm a rubbish boyfriend anyway. I'd probably only end up cheating on Sophie. I'm sure you wouldn't want that."

* * *

Cal didn't know how more of this he could take. Why couldn't Ethan and Sophie just get on with it? He felt like he was going to cry in a minute and then Sophie would feel even worse. Then Ethan would go into his 'protective little brother' routine and they would all end up alone.

Cal had to do something. Something to ensure that Sophie and Ethan felt no loyalty to him.

He went over to Lily. "Sorry."

"What for?" said Lily.

"This," said Cal, and kissed her.

Lily slapped him and pushed him away.

Cal held onto his cheek. "Okay, Ethan? You can't mind about taking my girlfriend now I've cheated on her, can you?"

Ethan shook his head helplessly. "How could you, Cal?"

"Technically, I've already broken up with him so he didn't cheat on me," said Sophie.

Cal sighed and grabbed her hand. "Lily, hold Ethan's hand for me, please."

"Gladly," said Lily.

"And turn him to face me."

Once they were facing each other, Cal put his hand on the back of Sophie's head (her hair felt so lovely and soft and smooth) and pushed her towards Ethan.

At the same time, Lily pushed Ethan towards Sophie.

Cal had to close his eyes then.

They did seem to be resisting at first, but gradually, Cal felt them relax. He removed his hand from Sophie's head and moved away. Slowly; reluctantly, he opened his eyes.

Ethan's arms were around Sophie's waist. Her arms were around his neck. They were kissing. Quite softly and slowly, but definitely kissing.

Cal had never seen anything more perfect.

* * *

Ethan didn't think he'd ever felt so happy.

There were sensations flowing through his body, not all of which he could name. Some of them were excited feelings. Excitement that he was kissing Sophie. Excitement that the girl he loved felt the same way. Excitement for the future.

But in a way, he also felt completely calm because finally, he was in the right place. He'd never really quite felt he belonged anywhere before. He'd always been the odd one, everywhere he went. The geeky one that not many people actually disliked but no-one ever loved.

Until now.

The kiss ended. "I love you, Sophie," said Ethan.

"I love you too," said Sophie. She lifted her hand to his face and touched it as though she could hardly believe it was now all right to do that. Her fingers skimmed across his cheek; touched his nose (she gave him the sweetest smile when she did that); trailed a finger lightly across his mouth.

Ethan kissed her finger. Not kissing it would have been an impossibility. He took her hand in his and kissed her other fingers; then the palm of her hand. "Sorry, this is a bit of a cliché. Would you like me to stop?"

She smiled and stroked his face. "Of course not. I love you, Ethan. That means you can get away with all kinds of soppy clichés. Just try not to do it every day."

Ethan laughed. "That sounds reasonable. Oh, and I love you too."

"Better late than never."

Ethan kissed her again. "I never thought I'd ever be able to say that. I always thought Cal…"

He stopped. The happy look fell away from Sophie's face.

"Cal," she said.

"Cal," sighed Ethan.

They looked around but couldn't see Cal or Lily.

"I never wanted to hurt him," said Sophie.

Ethan hugged her. "It's not your fault you don't love him, sweetheart."

"I hope he won't hate you."

"Don't worry," said Ethan. "I'm used to it."

* * *

Cal dropped his tissue into the bin and held out his hand.

"Another one?" said Lily sympathetically.

Cal sniffed and nodded.

"Don't sniff!" said Lily.

"Sorry."

Lily gave Cal another tissue. "Here you are."

"Thanks." Cal dabbed his nose. "I love her, Lily."

"I know," said Lily. "But some things aren't meant to happen."

"Me getting my heart broken wasn't meant to happen," said Cal.

Lily patted his arm. "I know, Cal. I am sorry."

Cal spoke with feeling. "And me tripping over the doorstep and getting a nosebleed was _definitely_ not meant to happen."

Lily had to admit it had been an exceptionally bad night for Cal. "Are you sure you don't want to go home?"

"I told Ethan he could have the car," said Cal. "And no taxi driver would want me bleeding everywhere." He looked at his tissue and moved it slightly. "It's not bleeding as much it was, but I'm amazed I haven't fainted from blood loss."

"So am I," admitted Lily.

"I wish I would, to be honest with you," said Cal.

Lily patted his arm. "But you've done a good thing. You've done a very good thing."

Cal nodded. "I've made the two people I love most in the world happy. But that doesn't make me feel happy at all."

The door opened and Robyn and Lofty came in, or rather fell in. Their arms were tightly around each other and their lips were meshed together. Their kissing was noisy and slurpy and there was a lot of heavy breathing which Lily found rather unnecessary.

"Robyn. Lofty. You have an audience," said Lily.

Robyn and Lofty sprang apart in horror. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" said Robyn. "I completely forgot you were in here. I completely forgot everything, to be honest."

Lofty was rubbing his hand across his mouth – probably more due to fears about Robyn's lipstick than Robyn's kisses. "I didn't know you were in here at all. I thought you'd gone home."

"We can go," said Cal, getting to his feet, but Robyn shook her head.

"It's fine. We can go in Max's old room. Though actually, we probably shouldn't. It's a bit rude when we have guests. Come on, Lofty. Let's calm down and go back to the party."

Lofty was looking at Cal. "You do know your nose is bleeding?"

"Yes, thanks," said Cal.

"But we're dealing with it," said Lily. "You go and… boogie? Is that the right word?"

Cal shook his head. "It was the right word about fifty years ago."

"If you can understand it, then I don't see the problem," said Lily.

* * *

Ethan and Sophie resurfaced from their latest kiss.

"Where are we?" said Ethan. "Oh yes: we're still in the car. Were we supposed to be going somewhere?"

"I don't think we'd quite got around to discussing it," said Sophie.

Ethan decided she was probably right.

"I do love you, Ethan," said Sophie.

Ethan blushed, then remembered she was allowed to say things like that.

"You're so cute when you blush," said Sophie.

"I'm sorry, darling. I'm not really used to all this relationship business."

"Don't worry," said Sophie. "You'll get used to it."

Ethan leaned over and kissed her again. "It might take me a bit of practice."

"That's fine," said Sophie. "I can cope with that."

"Yes, so can I, actually," said Ethan. "Practice makes perfect."

Sophie lifted her eyebrows. "Are you implying it's not already perfect?"

"Yes! I mean no. Or do I mean yes?" Ethan looked worriedly at Sophie, but she was laughing. "I mean it's already perfect. But sometimes you have to practise something a lot if you want it to stay perfect."

"Then let's practise now."

They kissed again, then Ethan reluctantly let go of her hand. "I think we should probably get off."

"I thought we already had."

"Have we?" Ethan peered through the window. "No, we're still in the car park."

Sophie smiled mischievously. "Oh, I see. _That_ kind of getting off."

Ethan looked at her in confusion. "What other kind of… oh, I see. Yes, I suppose we have. So where would you like me to take you?"

"Wow, Ethan, you really know how to get to the point, don't you? And I always thought you were such a gentleman."

Ethan quickly ran his mind over what he'd just said. "What's wrong with… oh gosh. I'm so sorry. I just meant where would you like me to… escort you? No, that's just as bad. Um… how can I put this? Where would you like us to go together? How about the pub?"

Sophie shook her head. "Much too _pub_lic."

"I don't think we can really go back to my flat," said Ethan apologetically. "Cal might be there."

Sophie looked sad. "I feel a bit flat now."

"Sweetheart, don't look like that." Ethan put his arm around her. "It's not your fault. Cal doesn't fall in love often, but he always chooses the worst possible people."

"You know, Ethan," said Sophie, "I'm not entirely sure that's a compliment."

"Isn't it?" Ethan frowned. "What did I… oh gosh. I'm sorry, Sophie. I wasn't trying to suggest that you were on the same level as a con-artist."

Sophie laughed and stroked his hair. "I'm glad to hear it. But if we can't go to your flat and we can't go anywhere public and we can't sit out here, I don't see what we can do except go to my hotel."

"I don't mind going to your hotel," said Ethan. There was no sofa and only one chair, but it was quite a comfortable room from what he remembered. "At least you've got a bed." He smiled.

His smile faded. He put his head in his hands.

Had he really just said…

Sophie burst out laughing again and hugged him tightly. "Promise me you'll never change, Ethan."

"Well, I have had quite a few people telling me I'll never change," said Ethan. "Usually accompanied by a despairing shake of the head."

"I love you, Ethan Hardy."

"I love you too, Sophie… oh gosh… what's your name again? Matthews. Sorry."


	35. Chapter 35

**Aimee**, Cal and Lily won't be getting together in this story, but I am writing a sequel so you never know! Thank you for your review.

**Tato Potato**, thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked the sweetness - I didn't want to go over the top, but Ethan is sweet no matter what he does!

**TheAtomicCheesepuff**, it was difficult knowing what to do with Cal - I didn't want a sad ending, but I wanted him to look good at the end - so I had to break his heart again! Thank you for your review and I'm happy you liked Ethan's cuteness.

**Tanith Panic**, it was nice to make Robyn and Lofty happy, even if I couldn't make Cal happy! I enjoyed giving Lily a social life too. I think she's getting quite a taste for it, which I never expected when I first started writing! Thank you for your review.

**TimeLadyOdair**, thank you so much - I really am thrilled you've enjoyed the story so much. Yes, this is the last chapter, but I am already writing a sequel so I hope you'll read and enjoy that too. It's nice - if slightly odd - to hear Cal being described as a gentleman!

* * *

Cal ordered another beer. He didn't think the alcohol was helping him very much, but he didn't think he could sit in the pub and not drink and he didn't want to go home in case Ethan and Sophie were there.

He'd told Lily he was going home. He didn't want her to worry. But he'd always known that going home wasn't an option.

When the curvaceous blonde sat beside him, Cal barely glanced at her. She wasn't Sophie so what was the point?

"Hey, Cal."

Even then, Cal didn't look at her. He'd obviously slept with her at some point if she knew him, but he could say that about a lot of women. It used to be a fact that cheered him up when he felt low, but it wasn't working today.

"What's up?" said the girl.

Cal told himself it was none of her business. He told himself that the truth was something he should be very embarrassed about. But he'd drunk quite a lot now and he found keeping quiet even more difficult when he was drunk. "My girlfriend just left me for my brother."

The girl gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am," said Cal. Her reaction comforted him a bit. He obviously didn't look like the kind of guy who got left by his girlfriends very often.

"Soppy Sophie left you for _Ethan_?"

Cal frowned. "Don't call her that. Hang on: how do you know their names?"

The girl looked at him pityingly. "You have no idea who I am, Cal, have you?"

"Yeah… course I do."

She laughed. "You're not a very good liar, Caleb. And you're also not very observant. We've only been working in the same department of the same hospital for a week."

Cal looked at her again. She did look vaguely familiar. But it was her nickname for Sophie that caused something to click in his heartbroken and drunk-befuddled brain. "Hey, Amber. Sorry. I'm not quite myself at the moment."

"Clearly," said Amber drily. "But seriously, Cal. Think about it. Sophie's far more Ethan's type than yours. Have you heard them blathering on about blood and bones and muscles with their stupid little puns?"

"Yes, I have," said Cal. Out of loyalty to Sophie, he added: "It is quite funny. When Sophie does it, I mean."

Amber caught the barman's eye and asked for a half of cider. Then she jerked her head towards Cal. "He's paying."

Cal really didn't feel like arguing so he paid. "So, what was it like working with Dylan?"

"Quite amusing," said Amber. "He wanted me to call him Dr Keogh. I wouldn't. I won that round. He insulted me at every opportunity. I just smiled sweetly and waggled my bum at him. I would say I won that round too. I flirted almost every time I spoke to him. He didn't flirt back, but he couldn't stop me from flirting. So I'd have to say I won that round as well."

"I wouldn't have ignored you," said Cal.

"No?" said Amber. She shifted slightly on her barstool and her skirt slid further up her thighs. "It certainly looked to me as though you were ignoring me."

Cal had to admit he wasn't ignoring her now.

But that didn't mean he was interested.

"Cal, I know you liked her," said Amber. "And if you want to spend all night crying into your beer, you shouldn't let me stop you. But it doesn't sound like very much fun. I suppose tomorrow, you might wake up in some gutter and discover the pain in your head is so bad, you can't feel the ache in your heart anymore. But is there really any advantage in masking one pain with another? What do you gain by that, really?"

Cal shrugged.

"I think it's far more sensible to mask pain with pleasure," said Amber. "Pleasure can help you to forget just as well as pain and then tomorrow, you might actually have some good memories along with the bad ones."

Cal couldn't quite imagine ever having good memories again.

"So if you'd like to give it a go, I'm perfectly happy to give you some pleasure," said Amber. "But just so you know, this is a one-night-only offer. I'm leaving tomorrow and the chances are you'll never see me again. So don't go falling in love with me or anything silly like that."

Cal smiled faintly. "I don't want to offend you, Amber, but there really is no danger of that."

"Good," said Amber. "So what do you say?"

Cal had to admit it was a perfectly sound argument. Far more so than the sort of conversation he usually got from blonde women in pubs.

He looked at her again. She wasn't Sophie, but that was good. He needed a distraction and if Amber was willing to distract him, why not?

"Okay," he said. "But we can't go to my flat. Sophie and Ethan might be there."

Amber shrugged. "I have a hotel room. And don't worry. I'm not staying in the same hotel as Sophie. I went for something a little more up-market."

"Great," said Cal. He didn't feel very excited. He still felt more sad than anything. But he was fairly sure that would change.

Once they'd finished their drinks. Amber slid gracefully off her stool and held out her hand to Cal. Cal stood up and put his hand in hers.

As they left the pub, a text arrived from Lily. _Cal, I'm just reminding you I'm still here if you want to talk. It doesn't matter how late it is._

Cal smiled. Lily had been a good friend to him tonight. A really good friend. And strange as it seemed, he did want to talk to her. About Sophie. About Ethan. About how he was going to get through the rest of his life.

But that could wait until tomorrow.

Cal sent a reply from the taxi. _Thanks Lily. I appreciate it. Maybe we could talk tomorrow? I'm going to bed now. Good night x_

He smiled again when he got Lily's reply. Short but sweet. _Good night, Cal x_

* * *

Ethan and Sophie lay entwined on the bed, too breathless for speech. They gasped for air and held onto each other tightly and thought about how happy they were.

At least, Ethan did. He wasn't completely sure what Sophie was thinking, but she definitely seemed happy.

Sophie's head was nestled on his collarbone and it just felt so right. Ethan kissed her hair.

"You are incredible, Sophie Matthews," he said as soon as he could talk. "And I've never had so much fun in my life."

"Neither have I," said Sophie. "And we haven't even taken our clothes off yet."

Ethan blushed, but not in an embarrassed sort of way. "No, but… well… I imagine we will. Eventually. When you're ready."

"I most certainly hope so." Sophie kissed his carotid muscle and giggled. "Even your neck goes red when you blush, Ethan."

"Does it?" said Ethan. "Perhaps I could make you blush one day."

"Oh, you already have. Loads of times," said Sophie. "I'm always in the pink when I'm with you." She lifted her head so she could kiss him.

Ethan kissed her back, but then she pulled away and dropped her head back onto his shoulder with a little sigh. Ethan looked at her, concerned. "What's wrong, darling?"

"I was just thinking about tomorrow."

Ethan stroked her hair. "Don't think about tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes."

"It will this time," said Sophie. She looked up at him. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Ethan."

"I know. I was trying not to think about it." Ethan hugged her closer to him. "I wish you weren't going."

Sophie stroked his face. "I could stay one more night and go back on Sunday, but only if the hotel has a spare room."

"Even if it doesn't, there must be _one_ hotel in Holby with a spare room," said Ethan.

"Perhaps," said Sophie sadly. "But it only gives us one more day. And then I have to go back and who knows when or if I'll ever see you again?" Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry," said Ethan. "You'll only get me started and I don't think I've got any condoms. But we will see each other again. Of course we will."

"Soon?" said Sophie.

Ethan nodded and kissed her. "I know it's too long, but I've got the day off on Thursday. I'll drive up on Wednesday night after my shift finishes and take you out for dinner. So we'll only not see each other on Monday and Tuesday."

Sophie blinked her tears away and nodded eagerly. "I have classes on Thursday, but only in the morning. So in the afternoon, we could get the train into the countryside and climb a mountain or something. Have a picnic. Walk lots. Sit down and cuddle lots. Then in the evening, I could cook for you."

"It sounds perfect," said Ethan, but he still felt like crying. He kissed her again. Partly because he wanted to; partly to stop his lips from quivering. "And then there's the weekend. I'm working on Saturday, but maybe we could work something out… "

"Lily did say I could go and stay with her if I wanted to come back to Holby," said Sophie. "I won't tomorrow night because it's too short notice, but maybe I could stay with her next weekend."

Ethan smiled and hugged her more tightly. "And I know it's a little way in the future, sweetheart, but I've got some holiday booked in August. I was going to go to the Peak District. For a walking holiday. So if you're not fed up with me by then, maybe we could… you know…"

"Go together?" Sophie's face lit up. "Oh, Ethan, I'd love to!"

"So would I," said Ethan softly.

"It sounds perfect," said Sophie ecstatically.

Ethan could only agree. "We could take two tents," he said, just in case she was worried.

"Two?" said Sophie. She sounded a lot less ecstatic now. "I hope you mean in case we leave one of them on the train."

Ethan felt embarrassed but excited. "Or in case the one we we're sleeping in gets stolen." He smiled. "Though perhaps you're the thief I should be worrying about. You've already stolen my heart. What will it be next?"

"I think in a case of cardiac theft, arrest is the next logical step."

Ethan smiled. "You've got these jokes down to a fine heart form, haven't you?"

"Now, that joke is verging on tachy," said Sophie.

"I never miss a beat," said Ethan.

"You're so im-pulse-ive, Ethan."

Ethan smiled. "We could be joking all night at this _rate_."

"Unless we bypass the jokes," said Sophie.

"And do what?" said Ethan, his face close to hers.

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something…"

"Actually, I did have something I wanted to show you," said Ethan.

Sophie smiled. "Get it out, then."

Ethan sat up. As Sophie was leaning against him, she sat up too. "Some pictures." He leaned over Sophie to find his phone. "Some pictures… of full frontal…"

"Ethan Hardy!"

"…lobes," finished Ethan. "A series of brain scans of the frontal lobe, that is." He looked at Sophie. "You would like to see them, wouldn't you? You don't have to pretend on my account."

Sophie's lips met his. "I know this is probably really weird, Ethan. But yes, actually, I'd love to see them!"

* * *

_So, Ethan gets the girl, Cal gets laid and Lily gets a personality transplant. _

_Thank you so much for all the reviews and support and ideas you've given me during the writing of this story. It always makes me so happy to know my stories are enjoyed._

_I will be writing a sequel, which I hope to start posting soon, so I really hope you'll read that too. _


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